unilateralism

noun

uni·​lat·​er·​al·​ism ˌyü-ni-ˈla-t(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm 

: a policy of taking unilateral action (as in international affairs) regardless of outside support or reciprocity

also : advocacy of such a policy

unilateralist

ˌyü-ni-ˈla-t(ə-)rə-list 

noun or adjective

Examples of unilateralism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some Europeans see it differently – as a loss of solidarity and common purpose - and a striking example of US unilateralism. —Tim Lister, CNN Money, 3 May 2026

Congress has proved incapable or unwilling to check this presidential unilateralism. —Robert Haswell, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026

This movement toward presidential unilateralism established both the legal and the political precedents that Trump has drawn on to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, target boats in the Caribbean, and capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. —Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026

Unpredictability and unilateralism are not desirable traits for a superpower with the second-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unilateralism

• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism
• anticommunism
• antisemitism
• antiterrorism
• bioterrorism
• colloquialism
• colonialism
• consequentialism
• contextualism
• conventionalism