unilateral

[ yoo-nuh-lat-er-uhl ]

/ ˌyu nəˈlæt ər əl /

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See synonyms for unilateral on Thesaurus.com

adjective

relating to, occurring on, or involving one side only: unilateral development; a unilateral approach.

undertaken or done by or on behalf of one side, party, or faction only; not mutual: a unilateral decision; unilateral disarmament.

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

Law.

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

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

through forebears of one sex only, as through either the mother's or father's line.Compare bilateral (def. 5).

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

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Origin of unilateral

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

OTHER WORDS FROM unilateral

u·ni·lat·er·al·i·ty

[yoo-nuh-lat-uh-ral-i-tee], /ˌyu nəˌlæt əˈræl ɪ ti/, nounu·ni·lat·er·al·ly, adverb

Words nearby unilateral

uniformize, uniform resource locator, unify, unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, unijugate, unilateral, Unilateral Declaration of Independence, unilateralism, unilaterally, unilateral neglect, unilineal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unilateral in a sentence

In practice, just as the decision to enter was regarded as a unilateral right by the United States, articulated in policy like the Eisenhower doctrine, so was the decision to withdraw — even if that left Afghanistan to the brutal Taliban.
Afghanistan’s collapse exposes the truth about U.S. military invasions in the region|Suzanne Enzerink|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
He said her unilateral overreach would leave a scar on the House’s integrity.
Bipartisan House probe of Jan. 6 insurrection falls apart after Pelosi blocks two GOP members|Marianna Sotomayor, Jacqueline Alemany, Karoun Demirjian|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
Even if your employer thought less visibility and a less challenging position would mean less strain on your mental health, that’s not the employer’s unilateral call to make.
My old job was erased when I was on medical leave. Doesn’t the job I return to have to be the same?|Karla Miller|April 15, 2021|Washington Post
Take New Hampshire, where state law gives Secretary of State Bill Gardner unilateral power to move the primary date as necessary to protect the state’s distinction of hosting the cycle’s first presidential primary.
Many Democrats Are Sick Of Iowa And New Hampshire Going First, But The Primary Calendar Is Unlikely To Change|Geoffrey Skelley (geoffrey.skelley@abc.com)|April 8, 2021|FiveThirtyEight

Statehood would be a unilateral gift to Democrats in a Senate that is at the moment evenly divided and a House that is within reach for the GOP next year.
Sorry. D.C. Statehood Isn’t Likely|Philip Elliott|March 22, 2021|Time
Under these circumstances, the kind of unilateral executive action Obama is undertaking will become more and more common.
Why Did Obama Flip-Flop on Immigration?|Paul Campos|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the same time, Democrats lost ground, now maintaining unilateral control in just six states, down from 11 before the midterms.
GOP States’ Hitlist: Abortion, Unions & Hillary|Nancy Kaffer|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To be clear, unilateral Democratic control is just as problematic as the reverse.
GOP States’ Hitlist: Abortion, Unions & Hillary|Nancy Kaffer|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the president takes unilateral action to legalize millions of people, King said, “it will create a constitutional crisis.”
Steve King: GOP Congress Should Keep Repealing Obamacare|Ben Jacobs|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He spoke to Putin on June 17 and came away offering a “unilateral cease-fire.”
Putin Is Just Getting Started in Ukraine|Michael Weiss|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Your State Department has been distributing judicious hints that a unilateral policy toward Franco will upset the apple cart.
The Five Arrows|Allan Chase
The body of the rules of this law can be altered by common consent only, not by a unilateral declaration on the part of one State.
International Law. A Treatise. Volume I (of 2)|Lassa Francis Oppenheim
The object of treaties is always an obligation, whether mutual between all the parties or unilateral on the part of one only.
International Law. A Treatise. Volume I (of 2)|Lassa Francis Oppenheim
In some cases of unilateral tubal abortion the operator has cleared out the tubal mole and clot, and left the tube.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Picture to yourself the unilateral development, the imminent danger of a spinal curvature.
The Valley of Fear|Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for unilateral

unilateral

/ (ˌjuːnɪˈlætərəl) /

adjective

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

involving or performed by only one party of severalunilateral disarmament

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

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

sociol relating to or tracing the line of descent through ancestors of one sex onlyCompare bilateral (def. 5)

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

Derived forms of unilateral

unilateralism or unilaterality, noununilaterally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

unilateral

Origin of unilateral

OTHER WORDS FROM unilateral

Words nearby unilateral

Words related to unilateral

How to use unilateral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unilateral

Derived forms of unilateral