unilateral

American  

[yoo-nuh-lat-er-uhl] / ˌyu nəˈlæt ər əl /

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.

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unilateral British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• unilateralism noun
• unilaterality noun
• unilaterally adverb

Etymology

Origin of unilateral

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

Example Sentences

During a briefing overnight, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce urged the “U.S. to remove such unilateral tariffs and refrain from new ones.”

From Barron's

A family spokesperson said: “Alice de Rothschild’s university admissions in the United States, as well as her rejections, are entirely due to her grades. Alice cannot be held responsible for Jeffrey Epstein’s unilateral actions.”

From The Wall Street Journal

On Monday, at a disarmament conference in Geneva, Chinese ambassador Shen Jian said: "We oppose unilateral bullying and the use of force in international relations."

From Barron's

"China has consistently opposed all forms of unilateral tariff increases and has repeatedly emphasised that there are no winners in a trade war, and protectionism leads nowhere," a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson added.

From BBC

More than 80 UN member states, along with the EU and the Arab League, have strongly condemned "unilateral Israeli decisions and measures" and called for them to be reversed.

From BBC