unilaterally

[ yoo-nuh-lat-er-uh-lee ]

/ ˌyu nəˈlæt ər ə li /

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adverb

involving, done by, or decided by only one person, side, party, or faction: Instead of bargaining with teachers and public service workers, the governor and the legislature have unilaterally reduced pension and health benefits.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of unilaterally

unilateral + -ly

Words nearby unilaterally

unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, unijugate, unilateral, Unilateral Declaration of Independence, unilateralism, unilaterally, unilateral neglect, unilineal, unilinear, unilingual, uniliteral

How to use unilaterally in a sentence

For weeks, Franchot has publicly and privately called on the governor to send $2,000 checks to state residents, an action he says the governor could take unilaterally.
Hogan pitches $750 stimulus checks for Maryland’s poorest families|Erin Cox|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
This trend, especially when applied unilaterally, erodes the fundamental model of cloud computing, which relies on free movement of data across borders.
The balkanization of the cloud is bad for everyone|Amy Nordrum|December 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Another huge personnel expense that cannot be unilaterally cut are retiree health and pension benefits.
Defund the Police? Here’s What’s Actually Possible in San Diego|Ashly McGlone|December 17, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Collaboration and partnerships in adtech have typically been hard to come by, leading market-moving companies to make unilateral decisions that they believe are in the best interest of their customers, and arguably, themselves.
Privacy changes are ushering in a new era of adtech collaboration|Criteo|November 16, 2020|Digiday

After Kerry’s peace initiative failed in 2014, Erekat started to become disillusioned with the peace process and began pushing for unilateral Palestinian measures in international institutions.
Longtime Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat dies at 65|Barak Ravid|November 11, 2020|Axios
The police cannot ultimately control public opinion unilaterally.
We Need Our Police to Be Better Than This|Nick Gillespie|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But that was so yesterday, much like his contention that he lacked the power to unilaterally confer amnesty.
With Immigration Move, Obama and the Welfare Party Strike Again|Lloyd Green|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And neither he, nor his secret police squad or some lawyer from Detroit, get to change that unilaterally on a whim.
Small Town Keeps Cops Secret From...ISIS|Cliff Schecter|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the Texas governor ignored statutory procedure and acted unilaterally.
Yes, Rick Perry Could End Up Doing Time|Dean Obeidallah|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But then some countries with large elephant populations began unilaterally disobeying the ban.
A World Without Elephants? Blame China|Michael Tomasky|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A State, therefore, cannot renounce its international duties unilaterally at discretion, but is and remains legally bound by them.
International Law. A Treatise. Volume I (of 2)|Lassa Francis Oppenheim
Direct stimulus applied unilaterally at the responding region induces, on the other hand, a positive curvature.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Each raceme has an axis, called the rachis, which bears unilaterally two rows of bud-like bodies.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
Valve turgid in the middle and at the apices which are unilaterally truncate.
The Diatomaceae of Philadelphia and Vicinity|Charles Sumner Boyer
Even if we were so thoroughly in disagreement that we would act unilaterally, we couldn't.
The Common Man|Guy McCord (AKA Dallas McCord Reynolds)