unipolar

American  

[yoo-nuh-poh-ler] / ˌyu nəˈpoʊ lər /

adjective

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

2. 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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unipolar British  

/ ˌjuːnɪpəʊˈlærɪtɪ, ˌjuːnɪˈpəʊlə /

adjective

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

2. (of a nerve cell) having a single process

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

4. (of nervous depression) occurring without accompanying bouts of mania

5. dominated by one superpower, esp the United States See bipolar

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Other Word Forms

• unipolarity noun

Etymology

Origin of unipolar

First recorded in 1805–15; uni- + polar

Example Sentences

Mr. Herman rightly notes that unipolar moments are fleeting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

History shows, however, that such unipolar moments are fleeting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

While America’s "unipolar moment" would surely not "continue for centuries," its end, he predicted, “seems a long way off for now.”

From Salon • Dec. 1, 2024

And many patients who wind up with the label of bipolar disorder are initially misdiagnosed with unipolar depression.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2024

The next morphological category may be spoken of as unipolar symmetry.

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879 by Various