Cognitive Bias
noun /ˈkɒɡnɪtɪv ˈbaɪəs/ — A systematic mental error that shapes how you see the world.
Definition
A pattern of deviation in judgment whereby inferences about situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion; a glitch in thinking that distorts reality.
Beyond the definition
There are over 180 documented cognitive biases. Knowing about them doesn't eliminate them — but it makes them visible. The most dangerous bias is the one you don't know you have.
Origin & history
The concept was developed by psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in their landmark work on heuristics and judgment in the 1970s.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Confirmation bias is the cognitive bias most likely to derail strategy.
Understanding cognitive bias is useful — but it doesn't make you immune to your own.
She started listing the cognitive biases in the pitch deck and ran out of space.
Synonyms
mental bias, thinking error, logical fallacy, perceptual distortion
Antonyms
rational thinking, objectivity, critical thinking
Related words
Cognitive Bias vs logical fallacy
Cognitive bias is a subconscious error in human thinking processes that shapes perception. A logical fallacy is a flaw in the actual structure of an argument that invalidates its conclusion.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Adult and partner looking in mirror
One adult chooses an outfit, and the partner copies them, looking to the other for cues, their own reflection looking washed out.
The partner’s reliance on the first person to define their own image shows a deviation in judgment, where the partner distorts their own reality by mirroring the other's choices.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration