Definition

1. Noun:

   • A diagonal line or cut across a fabric: A line or direction that is not parallel to the sides of a piece of cloth.
   • A prejudice or inclination: A tendency to favor one person, group, thing, or point of view over another, especially in a way considered to be unfair, preventing objective judgment.

2. Verb:

   • To cause prejudice or influence unfairly: To cause someone or something to have a bias; to sway judgment or opinion in an unfair direction.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The dress was cut on the bias, giving it a beautiful drape.
  • The journalist was accused of showing bias in her reporting.
  • We must be aware of our own cultural biases.

• Verb:

  • The judge warned the jury not to let media reports bias their decision.
  • His early experiences biased him against large corporations.

Advanced Usage

• "Implicit/Unconscious bias": An automatic, unintentional preference or association that influences judgment.

  • Companies offer training to help employees recognize their unconscious biases.

• "Confirmation bias": The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.

  • His confirmation bias led him to only read news sources that aligned with his views.

• "To be biased towards/against": To have a preference for or a prejudice against someone or something.

  • The manager was biased towards candidates from his alma mater.

Variants and Related Words

• Biased (Adjective): Showing an unfair preference or prejudice.

  • The article presented a biased view of the conflict.

• Unbiased (Adjective): Fair and impartial; not biased.

  • We need an unbiased opinion on this matter.

Synonyms

• Noun: Prejudice, partiality, favoritism, inclination, predisposition.
• Verb: Prejudice, influence, sway, distort, color.

Related Phrases

• "On a bias" / "On the bias": Cut or moving diagonally across the grain of a fabric.

  • She sewed the ribbon on the bias.

• "Bias binding": A strip of fabric cut on the bias, used to finish edges.

  • She used red bias binding to finish the quilt's edges.

Idioms

• "Cut on the bias": To cut fabric diagonally across the grain.

  • For a more fluid skirt, cut the fabric on the bias.

• "Without fear or favor": (A concept related to being unbiased) Acting impartially.

  • The committee must judge the entries without fear or favor.

Adjective

1. slanting diagonally across the grain of a fabric
   • a bias fold

Noun

1. a line or cut across a fabric that is not at right angles to a side of the fabric
2. a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

Verb

1. cause to be biased
2. influence in an unfair way
   • you are biasing my choice by telling me yours