unity

[yoo-ni-tee]

noun

plural

unities 

1. the state of being one; oneness.

   Synonyms: individuality, singularity, singleness
   Antonyms: variety, diversity

2. a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one.

3. the state or fact of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; unification.

4. absence of diversity; unvaried or uniform character.

5. oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.

   Synonyms: unison, concert

6. Mathematics.

   1. the number one; a quantity regarded as one.

   2. identity.

7. (in literature and art) a relation of all the parts or elements of a work constituting a harmonious whole and producing a single general effect.

8. one of the three principles of dramatic structure the three unities derived from Aristotelian aesthetics and formalized in the neoclassic canon in which a play is required to represent action as taking place in one day unity of time, as occurring within one place unity of place, and as having a single plot with a beginning, middle, and end unity of action.

unity

/ ˈjuːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being one; oneness

2. the act, state, or quality of forming a whole from separate parts

3. something whole or complete that is composed of separate parts

4. mutual agreement; harmony or concord

   the participants were no longer in unity

5. uniformity or constancy

   unity of purpose

6. maths

   1. the number or numeral one

   2. a quantity assuming the value of one

      the area of the triangle was regarded as unity

   3. the element of a set producing no change in a number following multiplication

7. the arrangement of the elements in a work of art in accordance with a single overall design or purpose

8. any one of the three principles of dramatic structure deriving from Aristotle's Poetics by which the action of a play should be limited to a single plot (unity of action), a single location (unity of place), and the events of a single day (unity of time)

Other Word Forms

• nonunity noun
• self-unity noun
• superunity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unity¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English unite, from Old French, from Latin ūnitās, from ūn(us) one + -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of unity¹

C13: from Old French unité, from Latin ūnitās, from ūnus one

Synonym Study

See union.

Example Sentences

Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist said that in a bid to shore up its unity, the coalition planned to swiftly pass laws that would give it a better chance of election victory.

Read more on Barron's

But, she insisted, "from the perspective of people, of friendship, of unity, the sense of community, that has been strengthened by what happened."

Read more on Barron's

Zanzibar, which formed a unity government with the mainland in 1964 and elects its own president and legislators, will begin early voting on Tuesday.

Read more on Barron's

“We know this is an uncertain and stressful time. However, this is a moment of unity and power, not panic,” she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The images of harmony and unity were there in abundance.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• agreement 
• consensus 
• harmony 
• identity 
• integrity 
• peace 
• solidarity 
• unanimity 
• unification