bias

1. noun

1)

he accused the media of bias

Syn:

prejudice, partiality, partisanship, favoritism, unfairness, one-sidedness; bigotry, intolerance, discrimination, leaning, tendency, inclination, predilection

Ant:

impartiality

2)

a dress cut on the bias

Syn:

diagonal, cross, slant, angle

2. verb

this may have biased the result

Syn:

prejudice, influence, color, sway, weight, predispose; distort, skew, slant

••

bias, bigotry, intolerance, narrow-mindedness, parochialism, partiality, prejudice, provincialism

Bias is a predisposition either for or against something; one can have a bias against police officers or a bias for French food and wines. Partiality, on the other hand, is a favorable bias (the partiality of parents for their own children; the partiality of Americans for fast food), while prejudice implies a preconceived and usually negative judgment or opinion (a decision motivated by racial prejudice). Bigotry is an even stronger term, referring to an intense dislike and often violent hatred for the members of a particular race, religion, or ethnic group. Narrow-mindedness also points to rigidly preconceived ideas, but implies that they are the result of lack of education or understanding, rather than outright hostility (her parents' narrow-mindedness prevented her from meeting any boys her age). Parochialism is another term meaning excessive narrowness of mind (from "parochial", pertaining to a parish or parishes; that is, concerned mainly about local issues), while provincialism is narrow-mindedness that results from lack of exposure to cultural or intellectual activity, characteristic of a province or non-urban area. Intolerance is a broad term used to describe the inability to put up with almost anything (parents' intolerance of their children's misbehavior).