univocal
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- univocally adverb
Etymology
Origin of univocal
1535–45; < Late Latin ūnivōc ( us ) ( ūni- uni- + -vōcus, adj. derivative of vōx, stem vōc-, voice ) + -al 1
Explanation
Something that's univocal is so clear that there's only one way to interpret it. A dog that's growling ferociously and baring its teeth is sending a univocal message to keep your distance. You might also call univocal things "unambiguous." There's no way to misunderstand something that's truly univocal — its meaning is consistent and obvious. Your mom's univocal instruction to be home by 9:00 PM leaves no room for doubt: she means 9:00, not 9:30 or 10:15. This adjective is most often used in linguistics to talk about words, and its Latin roots are uni-, "having only one," and vox, "voice."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jacob Frank is a complicated character who escapes univocal judgment.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2022
So the songs are more univocal than doubleheaded, both in structure and in mood.
From Slate • Aug. 16, 2019
Strangely, whenever MacGregor tries to imagine 16th- and 17th-century attitudes he trusts the univocal evidence of governmental proclamations more readily than he accepts the multiple views articulated by Shakespeare.
From The Guardian • Nov. 23, 2012
It is not the vehicles that they drive or the things strapped on the roof, but the univocal shade of muted grey.
From Salon • Oct. 14, 2012
Terms, relative, 141. repugnant, 135. singular, 43, 104. subject, 87. undistributed, 277. univocal, 137.
From Deductive Logic by Stock, St. George William Joseph
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
