How do "prejudiced" and "biased" exactly differ? Sometimes, they are used interchangeably.
Upon consulting the dictionary, I find that "prejudice" is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as −
"…an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge". http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prejudice
And "bias" is defined in that Dictionary as −
"…supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment". http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bias
While the words appear overlapping each other at one point, they appear different at other point.
What is the real scope of meaning of each of the two words? Can anybody shed some light.
Best Answer
Biased is the more general term. It basically means "tendency". An opinion survey or scientific study can be biased, which means it has a systematic error that skews the results. When applied to a person, biased means that the person tends toward certain views (due to their position, self-interest etc.)
Prejudiced, on the other hand, can mean for example that someone has formed an opinion before knowing all the facts. It tends to have a stronger negative connotation, and can even imply bigotry.
The two terms do overlap in meaning, though, and can sometimes be used interchangeably.