implicit bias

noun

plural implicit biases
: a bias or prejudice that is present but not consciously held or recognized
These studies reveal that students, nurses, doctors, police officers, employment recruiters, and many others exhibit implicit biases with respect to race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, social status, and other distinctions.J. T. Jost et al.
"Research shows that the majority of people have an implicit bias that associates science and technology with gender, so from a very young age, girls are not encouraged to pursue these careers," she [Caroline Simard] said.Claire Cain Miller

Examples of implicit bias in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Officers received training on implicit bias and the use of force, Doyle said. Susannah Cullinane, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025 The defendant’s attorney cited a law professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, who was hired to offer his opinion for the filing as an expert in implicit bias. Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025 But when today’s racial achievement gaps are attributed to more nebulous forms of discrimination—like implicit bias in standardized testing—the explanatory force begins to wane. Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025 While this growth may be attributed to eliminating claims processor implicit bias by automatically granting benefits for veterans suffering the effects of toxic exposure, DEI also had a significant impact. Cristina Johnson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for implicit bias

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of implicit bias was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Implicit bias.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implicit%20bias. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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