Some language is infused with subtle meanings that imply that a person or subject should be perceived in a particular way. This is known as biased language. For example, addressing an older person as “sweetie” or “dear” can be belittling (even if kindly intended) (Leland, 2008). In particular, older individuals struggling with dementia are sensitive to language that implies that they are childlike (“Did you eat your dinner like a good boy?”) because they are struggling to maintain their dignity (Williams, Herman, Gajewski, & Wilson, 2009). In addition, there are many derogatory terms for women who engage in casual sex, though men who engage in similar behaviors in similar situations are afforded less derogatory labels (she is “easy”; he is a “player”). Such biased language perpetuates perceptions of women as less intelligent, less mentally healthy, and less competent than men in similar relationships or situations (Conley, 2011; Jacobs, 2012).

Biased language can also affect others’ perceptions of you. For example, if you employ the vague “those guys” to describe coworkers in another department or a group of teens hanging out at the mall, others will likely see you as more biased than people who use concrete terms (for example, “the attorneys in the legal department” or “the high school students at FroYo”) (Assilaméhou & Testé, 2013).

When language openly excludes certain groups or implies something negative about them, we often attempt to replace the biased language with more neutral terms, employing what is known as politically correct language. For example, the terms firefighter, police officer, and chairperson replace the sexist terms fireman, policeman, and chairman, reflecting and perhaps influencing the fact that these once male-dominated positions are now open to women as well. Critics of political correctness argue that such attempts at sensitivity and neutrality can undermine communication as they substitute euphemisms for clarity when dealing with difficult subjects and place certain words off-limits (O’Neill, 2011). But others note that there is value in always trying to be sensitive—and accurate—when we make choices regarding language.