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The History of Univocal
In Latin, the prefix uni- ("one") united with vox ("voice"), creating univocus, the source of English's univocal.
Examples of univocal in a Sentence
those who believe that the language of the Bible is univocal: it is never metaphorical but intended to be taken literally
Recent Examples on the Web
Similarly, the dozens of people whom Greaves interviews in the film aren’t delivering a single and univocal history of the Harlem Renaissance but a polyphonic transmission of it.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
At a press event this week, the new Paramount leadership expressed their univocal support for theatrical movies.
—
Anthony D'alessandro,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
An understanding of user diversity is often unexplored territory for brands, requiring a shift from univocal to multi-frequency communication that constantly and comprehensively reignites connection with targets, drawing them in and reaffirming values, proving to be a true asset.
—
Fairchild Studio,
WWD,
26 Nov. 2024
Her inability to distill a message from her show is a testament not so much to Jane’s insufficient writerly chops as to the challenge of wringing out a univocal meaning from biracial America.
—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
13 Aug. 2024
Today’s political mainstream consists of a rising univocal, powerful, and intolerant pro-war movement for which the invasion is existential.
—
Tatiana Stanovaya,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2022
Yet, as with almost everything Shostakovich wrote, the score defeats a univocal interpretation, its classical four-movement structure interlaced with political, personal, and purely musical messages.
—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2022
Who Lived Her Songs—Cash greatly complicates the popcult caricature of country music as a univocal genre of jingoist belligerence and boosterism, as exemplified by Toby Keith, Daryl Worley, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-career Charlie Daniels.
—
Chris Lehmann,
The New Republic,
7 Dec. 2021
But the narrative emerging from key players in the Arab world for which Tunisia’s Arab Spring legacy presents a clear challenge — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — was far more univocal: The events in Tunisia marked the death knell for political Islam in democracy.
—
Washington Post,
27 July 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
At a press event this week, the new Paramount leadership expressed their univocal support for theatrical movies.
—
Anthony D'alessandro,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
An understanding of user diversity is often unexplored territory for brands, requiring a shift from univocal to multi-frequency communication that constantly and comprehensively reignites connection with targets, drawing them in and reaffirming values, proving to be a true asset.
—
Fairchild Studio,
WWD,
26 Nov. 2024
Her inability to distill a message from her show is a testament not so much to Jane’s insufficient writerly chops as to the challenge of wringing out a univocal meaning from biracial America.
—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
13 Aug. 2024
Today’s political mainstream consists of a rising univocal, powerful, and intolerant pro-war movement for which the invasion is existential.
—
Tatiana Stanovaya,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2022
Yet, as with almost everything Shostakovich wrote, the score defeats a univocal interpretation, its classical four-movement structure interlaced with political, personal, and purely musical messages.
—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2022
Who Lived Her Songs—Cash greatly complicates the popcult caricature of country music as a univocal genre of jingoist belligerence and boosterism, as exemplified by Toby Keith, Daryl Worley, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-career Charlie Daniels.
—
Chris Lehmann,
The New Republic,
7 Dec. 2021
But the narrative emerging from key players in the Arab world for which Tunisia’s Arab Spring legacy presents a clear challenge — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — was far more univocal: The events in Tunisia marked the death knell for political Islam in democracy.
—
Washington Post,
27 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Univocal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/univocal. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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