skew
mediumformal, academic, technical, business
Definition
Meaning
To cause something to be not straight, symmetrical, or accurate; to distort or slant.
In statistics: a measure of the asymmetry of a probability distribution. Also used to describe a biased or distorted perspective.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily implies a deviation from an expected or correct alignment, symmetry, or truth. Often used figuratively to describe bias.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in meaning or spelling. Usage is consistent.
Connotations
Neutral in both, but can imply deliberate distortion or unintentional bias depending on context.
Frequency
More common in academic and business contexts in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
skew something (transitive)skew towards/against something (intransitive + prepositional phrase)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Skew the odds (to unfairly influence chances)”
- “On a skew (in a slanted or crooked position - less common)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A small sample can skew the market analysis, leading to poor investment decisions.
Academic
The researcher was careful not to let personal beliefs skew the interpretation of the statistical model.
Everyday
Don't let one bad review skew your opinion of the entire restaurant.
Technical
The presence of outliers will skew the mean of the data set, making the median a better measure of central tendency.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The journalist accused the report of skewing the facts to favour the government.
- The council's new policy seems to skew heavily towards supporting large businesses.
American English
- The poll's methodology was flawed and skewed the results.
- His views skew conservative on economic issues.
adverb
British English
- He wore his hat skew, almost sideways.
- The bookshelf was leaning skew against the wall.
American English
- The picture hung skew on the nail.
- She looked at him skew, trying to figure out his angle.
adjective
British English
- The picture on the wall looked slightly skew.
- We received a skew view of events from the initial witness.
American English
- The door frame was skew after the earthquake.
- He has a rather skew sense of humor.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The picture is hanging skew on the wall.
- The table leg is skew, so the table wobbles.
- The news article was accused of skewing the facts.
- The data is slightly skewed because not everyone answered.
- The tax system appears to skew in favour of high earners.
- A badly worded question can skew the results of a survey.
- The statistical analysis revealed a heavily right-skewed distribution of incomes.
- Critics argue that the media's coverage systematically skews public perception of the conflict.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a SKEWer (like for kebabs). If you push it in at an angle, not straight, the meat becomes SKEWed.
Conceptual Metaphor
TRUTH/ACCURACY IS A STRAIGHT LINE; BIAS/DISTORTION IS A SLANTED OR CROOKED LINE.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'скейт' (skateboard). The Russian verb 'косить' (to mow, to squint) or 'искажать' (to distort) are closer in meaning.
- Avoid translating 'data skew' literally as 'данные косые'. Use 'асимметрия данных' or 'смещение данных'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'The results were skewed by.' (Incomplete - needs an agent). Correct: 'The results were skewed by poor methodology.'
- Incorrect: 'The graph shows a skew distribution.' Correct: 'The graph shows a skewed distribution.' (Requires the past participle as adjective).
Practice
Quiz
In statistics, what does it mean if data is 'positively skewed'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is most commonly used in formal, academic, business, and technical contexts, though it can be used in everyday speech.
The primary noun form is 'skewness' (in statistics) or simply 'skew' (e.g., 'a left skew in the data').
Yes, though less common than the verb. It means 'not straight; slanted' (e.g., a skew line in geometry, a skew view).
They are synonyms, but 'distort' often implies a more severe, deliberate, or grotesque twisting out of shape, while 'skew' often implies a slant or bias, especially in data or perspective.
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