unbiased
un-BY-uhst
/ʌnˈbaɪəst/
Showing no prejudice for or against something; impartial.
Implies a deliberate effort to be fair and objective.
The story behind the word. The word 'bias' originally comes from the game of bowls, referring to a ball weighted on one side so it curves. 'Unbiased' means the ball (or mind) goes straight.
Word relationships
- impartial: Impartial is slightly more formal and often used in legal contexts (an impartial jury).
- biased: Unfairly prejudiced for or against someone or something.
Commonly confused with
- disinterested: Disinterested means having no personal stake in the outcome; unbiased means having no prejudice.
Word family
- bias (noun): Prejudice in favor of or against one thing.
Collocations
- unbiased opinion
- unbiased advice
- completely unbiased
Example sentences
- "A journalist's primary duty is to provide an unbiased account of the events." Journalism
- "The study was conducted by an independent agency to ensure the results were unbiased." Science
Memory hook
Un-Biased: No 'Bias' (slant) in your thinking. Fair and square.
When not to use
Don't use it for people who just don't care; use 'indifferent' instead.
Fun facts
- In statistics, an 'unbiased estimator' is one that doesn't systematically over- or under-estimate a value.
Related words
Explore more words
impartial, impartiality, neutral, neutrality, nonpartisan, objectivity
Also appears in
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