unilateral

adjective

uni·lat·er·al | \ ˌyü-ni-ˈla-tə-rəl

, -ˈla-trəl\

Definition of unilateral

1a : done or undertaken by one person or party

b : of, relating to, or affecting one side of a subject : one-sided

c : constituting or relating to a contract or engagement by which an express obligation to do or forbear is imposed on only one party

2a : having parts arranged on one side a unilateral raceme

b : occurring on, performed on, or affecting one side of the body or one of its parts unilateral exophthalmos

3 : unilineal

4 : having only one side

Other Words from unilateral Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about unilateral

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Did You Know?

The world is a smaller place than it used to be, and we get uncomfortable when a single nation adopts a policy of unilateralism—that is, acting independently with little regard for what the rest of the world thinks. A unilateral invasion of another country, for instance, usually looks like a grab for power and resources. But occasionally the world welcomes a unilateral action, as when the U.S. announced unilateral nuclear-arms reductions in the early 1990s. Previously, such reductions had only happened as part of bilateral ("two-sided") agreements with the old Soviet Union. Multilateral agreements, on issues such as climate change, often involve most of the world's nations.

Examples of unilateral in a Sentence

Our country is prepared to take unilateral action.

Recent Examples on the Web

The 2015 deal with world powers has steadily unraveled following President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the accord last year. — Washington Post, "Iran defends plan for further steps away from nuclear deal," 6 Sep. 2019 Under the deal, which has steadily unraveled after President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the accord last year, experts thought Iran would need about a year to reach that point. — Jon Gambrell, BostonGlobe.com, "Iran poised for faster centrifuges as nuclear deal collapses," 5 Sep. 2019 These type of exercises, called unilateral moves, challenge your balance and require your core to work a bit harder to keep you stable. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "7 Dumbbell Exercises That Work Your Core," 30 May 2019 The comments drew immediate international attention because Trump had been so defiant with his unilateral decision to engage in a trade war with China. — Anchorage Daily News, "Trump says he wishes he’d raised tariffs even higher on China as trade war escalates," 25 Aug. 2019 The information blockade was an integral part of India’s unilateral decision last week to wipe out the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, an area of 12.5 million people that is claimed by both India and Pakistan and has long been a source of tension. — New York Times, "India Shut Down Kashmir’s Internet Access. Now, ‘We Cannot Do Anything.’," 14 Aug. 2019 But many Europeans have said a unilateral U.S. decision potentially weakens European security and plays into Russian positioning that Washington is abandoning arms-control, not Moscow. — Jessica Donati, WSJ, "NATO Meeting to Be Dominated by Russia-Ukraine Clash," 3 Dec. 2018 The call came the same day the United States announced a unilateral decision to slap steel and aluminum tariffs on American allies, including Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. — Michelle Kosinski, CNN, "Trump's phone call with Macron described as 'terrible'," 4 June 2018 But any unilateral actions would probably face a skeptical Supreme Court, particularly after Anthony Kennedy was replaced last year by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has a consistent record of siding against climate regulations as a judge. — Sahil Kapur, Fortune, "Why Even a Democratic Landslide in 2020 Won’t Guarantee Major Climate Action," 28 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unilateral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near unilateral

unilateral compound pitting

unilateralism

unilaterality

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Last Updated

2 Oct 2019

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The first known use of unilateral was in 1802

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More Definitions for unilateral

unilateral

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unilateral

: involving only one group or country

See the full definition for unilateral in the English Language Learners Dictionary

unilateral

adjective

uni·lat·er·al | \ ˌyü-ni-ˈlat-ə-rəl, -ˈla-trəl

Medical Definition of unilateral

: occurring on, performed on, or affecting one side of the body or one of its parts unilateral exophthalmos

unilateral

adjective

uni·lat·er·al | \ ˌyü-nə-ˈla-tə-rəl

Legal Definition of unilateral

1 : done or undertaken by one party a unilateral mistake as to the terms

2 : of, relating to, or affecting one side of a subject

3 : containing a promise to perform made by only one party especially because the other has already performed (as by paying an amount) an option contract is unilateral