unilateral

[yoo-nuh-lat-er-uhl]

adjective

1. relating to, occurring on, or involving one side only.

   unilateral development; a unilateral approach.

2. undertaken or done by or on behalf of one side, party, or faction only; not mutual.

   a unilateral decision; unilateral disarmament.

3. having only one side or surface; without a reverse side or inside, as a Möbius strip.

4. Law.

   1. pertaining to a contract that can be formed only when the party to whom an offer is made renders the performance for which the offeror bargains.

   2. pertaining to a contract in which obligation rests on only one party, as a binding promise to make a gift.

5. Botany.,  having all the parts disposed on one side of an axis, as an inflorescence.

6. through forebears of one sex only, as through either the mother's or father's line.

7. Phonetics.,  (of an l -sound) characterized by passage of air on only one side of the tongue.

unilateral

/ ˌjuːnɪˈlætərəl /

adjective

1. of, having, affecting, or occurring on only one side

2. involving or performed by only one party of several

   unilateral disarmament

3. law (of contracts, obligations, etc) made by, affecting, or binding one party only and not involving the other party in reciprocal obligations

4. botany having or designating parts situated or turned to one side of an axis

5. sociol relating to or tracing the line of descent through ancestors of one sex only Compare bilateral

6. phonetics denoting an (l) sound produced on one side of the tongue only

Other Word Forms

• unilaterality noun
• unilaterally adverb
• unilateralism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unilateral¹

From the New Latin word ūnilaterālis, dating back to 1795–1805. See uni-, lateral

Example Sentences

One suggestion is to drastically reduce the amount of TMO interference, empowering the on-field referee to make quick and unilateral decisions.

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Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday announced a unilateral three-month ceasefire a day after the army dismissed a US truce proposal from international mediators.

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The Republican leader has also withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to limit global warming and has imposed unilateral tariffs on a host of trading partners.

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Polls have generally shown that Mexicans oppose any unilateral U.S. intervention, but are open to Mexican cooperation with the United States in fighting organized crime.

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Proposals to address concerns over trade -- as China leads a push against "unilateral" measures and the EU's carbon price on imports in particular -- were also canvassed.

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