Word.ws English Dictionary

mathwashing

mathwashing noun: using data and algorithms to create the false impression that a subjective decision or policy was made objectively. Also the present participle and gerund of mathwash.

Noun

mathwashing (uncountable)

  1. (neologism) Using data and algorithms to create the false impression that a subjective decision or policy was made objectively.
    • This is just one result, however, of a broader trend that Fred Benenson, Kickstarter's former data chief, calls "mathwashing": our tendency to idolize programs like Facebook's as entirely objective because they have mathematics at their core.2016 June 24, Nanette Byrnes, “Why We Should Expect Algorithms to Be Biased”, in MIT Technology Review, Cambridge, M.A.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the...
    • Many of the people and companies employing algorithms hope that their use of technology in replacement of humans results in reduced unconscious bias. While it would be great if it were that simple, this mindset is often a case of "mathwashing:" our tendency to attribute objectivity to technology.2017 December 5, Frida Polli, “The Dark Side Of Artificial Intelligence”, in Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Nov 2022

Also used as

mathwashing is also the present participle and gerund of mathwash.

Questions about mathwashing

What does mathwashing mean?
Mathwashing means using data and algorithms to create the false impression that a subjective decision or policy was made objectively.
What part of speech is mathwashing?
Mathwashing is a noun.

Words near mathwashing in the dictionary

  1. Mathurins
  2. Mathurs
  3. mathwash
  4. mathwashed
  5. mathwashes
  6. mathwashing
  7. Mathwin
  8. Mathwins
  9. mathwise
  10. mathy
  11. Mathys

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: mathwashing (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “mathwashing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mathwashing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.