skewed

American  

[skyood] / skyud /

adjective

1. distorted or biased; giving an unfair or misleading view of something.

   After the global financial crisis, he came to realize that traditional economic models offer very skewed representations of actual economic reality.

2. having an oblique or slanting direction or position; shaped, cut, or placed on a slant.

   When mounting a streetlight pole, orientation of the anchor bolts is important so that the pole base is not skewed in relation to the centerline of the roadway.

3. deliberately slanted so as to conform to a specific concept or attitude, cater to the interests of a particular group, etc. (sometimes used in combination).

   The network has launched a new youth-skewed telenovela that has been averaging around 28 million viewers in Brazil.

   His world view is skewed to the concept that the strong exist to dominate the weak, so he judges people by their direct worth to him.

4. Statistics. (of a distribution) having a disproportionate number of data points above or below the mean.

   There is a very skewed distribution of income, with the top 20 percent of the population earning 20 times what is earned by the poorest 20 percent.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of skew.

Other Word Forms

• unskewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of skewed

skew ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something skewed is slanted or off-center in some way. A picture frame or viewpoint can be skewed. This is a word, like so many, that can apply to physical things or ideas. A painting on the wall is skewed if it's leaning to one side. Also, opinions are often skewed: this is another way of saying someone is biased. People often accuse news reports of being skewed toward one political viewpoint. A movie could be skewed toward one character more than the other. When you think of skewed, think of leaning and slanting of all sorts.

Example Sentences

“Energy risks linger, inflation tails remain skewed up, and geopolitical brinkmanship could yet revive USD strength despite an eventual deal remaining the most likely outcome,” they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The researchers found that earlier estimates were skewed by what scientists call extrinsic mortality.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

“On the one hand, a lot of optimism looks to be priced in, particularly on the earnings front. So, as we enter earnings season next week, the risks may be skewed towards disappointment,” he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

In the language of the profession, “the risks are skewed to the downside.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

Barnsley argues that these kinds of skewed age distributions exist whenever three things happen: selection, streaming, and differentiated experience.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• curved
• curving
• devious
• errant
• gnarled
• meandering
• serpentine
• sinuous
• twisted
• twisting
• winding