skew

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "skew" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used as a verb to mean "to make something lean or tilt in one direction." For example, "The wind skewed the tree at a severe angle."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The critically reviled The Mysteries of Laura is holding strong with about 8 million viewers, though its demographics skew old, which could prove troublesome if NBC has other shows it wants to prioritise.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

On the other hand, given an older audience skew, it could thrive on weekdays and especially matinees, so the battle is far from over.

The Guardian - Film

Both were positioned as counter-programming to the World Cup, aiming for a slight female skew with Chef (although a father-son storyline is the emotional hook) and a bigger one for Walking on Sunshine.

The Guardian - Film

In 2007, along with traders at big-name banks including Barclays, Lloyds and BNP Paribas, he was copied into emails that were used to skew Libor, a jury has heard.

The Guardian - Business

Maybe parachute payments, even when well spent, do not skew the second tier as unfairly as many keep suggesting.

The Guardian - Sport

The way massive oil wealth can skew a country's economic development is well-documented.

The Guardian

The other big factor is turnout: when turnout is low, only those strongly invested in a particular outcome will vote, and this can skew the result to something quite at odds with majority opinion – essentially a selective sampling problem.

The Guardian

Although Mr Gandhi and others are talking about the challenge, not everyone is, partly due to the electoral system's skew towards the countryside.

The Economist

In the three weeks to the end of September, just 8% of the ads in the presidential race were devoted to praising a candidate, rather than denigrating him.Since the start of the campaign, Mr Obama and his supporters have warned that big-spending right-wing groups were about to release a torrent of ads that would skew the race in Mr Romney's favour.

The Economist

Financial economists are studying the way that incentives can skew market efficiency.

The Economist

For the mobile version, the skew was greater still.Now Mr Almunia has accepted a more marked change.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing data, specify the direction of the "skew". For example, a "skew" towards older demographics indicates a higher proportion of older individuals.

Common error

Avoid assuming the direction of the "skew". Always explicitly state whether the "skew" is positive (towards higher values) or negative (towards lower values) to prevent misinterpretation.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "skew" is as a verb, indicating an action of distorting, biasing, or deviating from a straight line or normal distribution. Ludwig AI provides examples where "skew" is used to describe how certain factors distort results or influence outcomes.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Wiki

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "skew" functions primarily as a verb, denoting the act of distorting, biasing, or deviating something from a norm. Analysis reveals its frequent use across diverse contexts, notably in news, business, and scientific domains. Ludwig AI confirms that the term is grammatically sound and widely accepted. When employing "skew", ensure clarity by specifying both the subject undergoing distortion and the influencing agent, like "The sample skewed the results." The analysis also underscores the significance of indicating the skew's direction, whether it's positive or negative. Common errors involve failing to specify the direction, leading to potential misinterpretations. Related terms include "distort", "bias", and "warp".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

distort

Implies a change in the original shape or meaning, often negatively.

bias

Indicates a prejudice or inclination that affects judgment.

warp

Suggests a bending or twisting out of shape.

distort the truth

Specifically relates to misrepresenting facts.

influence unfairly

Highlights the aspect of undue influence on an outcome.

give a slant to

Emphasizes presenting something from a particular viewpoint.

color

Suggests adding a particular perspective or interpretation.

affect

Indicates a general influence that may lead to a deviation.

twist

Implies a deliberate alteration to create a false impression.

contort

Suggests a more extreme form of distortion, often unnatural.

FAQs

How is "skew" typically used in a sentence?

The word "skew" is typically used as a verb to describe something that is not straight or level, or to indicate a bias or distortion in a particular direction. For example, "The results of the survey were "skewed" by the way the questions were asked."

What are some alternatives to using "skew" in writing?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "distort", "bias", "warp", or "influence unfairly" to convey a similar meaning to "skew".

In data analysis, what does it mean for data to be "skewed"?

In data analysis, "skewed" refers to the asymmetry in a statistical distribution, where the values are concentrated on one side. A distribution can be positively or negatively "skewed", indicating the direction of the tail.

How does "skew" differ from "bias"?

"Skew" generally indicates a lack of symmetry or a distortion in a dataset or representation, whereas "bias" implies a prejudice or preference that influences a result. While both can distort outcomes, "skew" focuses on the shape of the distribution, and "bias" focuses on the influence of a particular factor.