unidirectional

adjective

uni·​di·​rec·​tion·​al ˌyü-ni-də-ˈrek-sh(ə-)nəl 

-dī-

1

: involving, functioning, moving, or responsive in a single direction

a unidirectional microphone

2

: not subject to change or reversal of direction

unidirectionally adverb

Examples of unidirectional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For recording individual instruments, especially those with delicate tones and sensitive transients, choose a small diaphragm microphone with a unidirectional polar pattern. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025

But what the Bomb Squad achieves on Fear of a Black Planet is staggering: Those samples, fragmented and rearranged into collages that create new textures and scramble their meanings, coalesce in a way that’s predictably overwhelming, but surprisingly unidirectional. —Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025

Researchers in China have created a transparent, colorless, and unidirectional solar concentrator that can be directly coated onto standard window glass and used to harvest sunlight without changing the window’s appearance. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025

The unidirectional ceramic bezel, offered in either black or green, is fade and scratch-resistant, complementing the high durability of the case. —Matthew Catellier, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing unidirectional

• unidirectional current

Rhymes for unidirectional

• multidirectional
• omnidirectional
• affectional
• correctional
• directional
• inflectional
• bidirectional
• intersectional
• sectional

Medical Definition

unidirectional

adjective

uni·​di·​rec·​tion·​al ˌyü-ni-də-ˈrek-shnəl, -dī-, -shən-ᵊl 

: involving, functioning, moving, or responsive in a single direction

unidirectionally

-ē 

adverb