unipolar

[ yoo-nuh-poh-ler ]

/ ˌyu nəˈpoʊ lər /

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adjective

Also homopolar. Physics. having or pertaining to a single magnetic or electric pole.

Anatomy. of or relating to a nerve cell in spinal and cranial ganglia in which the incoming and outgoing processes fuse outside the cell body.

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Origin of unipolar

First recorded in 1805–15; uni- + polar

OTHER WORDS FROM unipolar

u·ni·po·lar·i·ty

[yoo-nuh-poh-lar-i-tee, -puh-], /ˌyu nə poʊˈlær ɪ ti, -pə-/, noun

Words nearby unipolar

uniparous, unipersonal, unipetalous, uniplanar, unipod, unipolar, unipotent, unipotential, unique, uniqueness, uniramous

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

How to use unipolar in a sentence

But the idea that the United States must maintain its hegemonic status in a unipolar world—on the right, that has staying power.
Dick Cheney’s Awfulness Is Here to Stay|Michael Tomasky|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In our post-unipolar moment, such a reassessment is long overdue.
Obama Defines the New Patriotism|Andrew J. Bacevich|April 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
No more unipolar world, no more patronizing lectures from the Americans.
Russia's Olympic Choke Job|Michael Idov|February 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The “unipolar moment” that might have described America when the Berlin Wall fell down is long over.
We're Handling China All Wrong|Jeffrey E. Garten|February 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST

But unipolar symmetry with diverging outgrowths leads us to the next category which may be called radial symmetry.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879|Various
When the blastula is oval and free-swimming the inner mass is formed by unipolar immigration from the hinder pole.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 2|Various
If the connexion is only with one, the vesicle is called unipolar; if with two, bipolar; if with many, multipolar or stellate.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume II (of 2)|John William Draper
Unipolar spots are very seldom observed without some indication of the characteristics of bipolar groups.
Astronomy|David Todd
The bipolar spot seems to be the dominant type, and the unipolar type a variant of it.
Astronomy|David Todd

British Dictionary definitions for unipolar

unipolar

/ (ˌjuːnɪˈpəʊlə) /

adjective

of, concerned with, or having a single magnetic or electric pole

(of a nerve cell) having a single process

(of a transistor) utilizing charge carriers of one polarity only, as in a field-effect transistor

(of nervous depression) occurring without accompanying bouts of mania

dominated by one superpower, esp the United StatesSee bipolar

Derived forms of unipolar

unipolarity (ˌjuːnɪpəʊˈlærɪtɪ), noun

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