unilateral [yoo-nuh -lat -er-uh l]
Examples Word Origin
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. Show More
Origin of unilateral From the
New Latin word
ūnilaterālis, dating back to
1795–1805. See
uni- ,
lateral Related forms u·ni·lat·er·al·i·ty , noun u·ni·lat·er·al·ly , adverb Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for unilaterally Contemporary Examples of unilaterally But that was so yesterday, much like his contention that he lacked the power to unilaterally confer amnesty.
And neither he, nor his secret police squad or some lawyer from Detroit, get to change that unilaterally on a whim.
There are, of course, limits to what Obama can do unilaterally .
In 2012 for example, Gates warned publicly in a speech that it would be disastrous if Israel were to unilaterally strike Iran .
Henry Ford, founder, chief executive officer, and dictator of the Ford Motor Company, unilaterally raised—doubled!
Historical Examples of unilaterally Such aid is not an act of war, even if a dictator should unilaterally proclaim it so to be.
Valve turgid in the middle and at the apices which are unilaterally truncate.
British Dictionary definitions for unilaterally of, having, affecting, or occurring on only one side involving or performed by only one party of several unilateral 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 only Compare bilateral (def. 5) phonetics denoting an (l) sound produced on one side of the tongue only Show More
Derived Forms unilateralism or unilaterality , noun unilaterally , adverb Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for unilaterally adj. 1802, from Modern Latin unilateralis , from unum , neuter of unus "one" (see one ) + latus (genitive lateralis ) "side" (see oblate (n.)). Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) may have been the first to use it in the legal sense of "made or entered into by one party." Unilateral disarmament is recorded from 1929.
It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion. [William Ralph Inge, "Outspoken Essays," 1919] Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
unilateral [yōō′nə-lăt′ ər-əl]
On, having, or confined to only one side. Show More
Related forms u′ni•lat′ er•al•ly adv. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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