unipolar

adjective

uni·po·lar ˌyü-ni-ˈpō-lər

: having or oriented in respect to a single pole: such as

: having or involving the use of a single magnetic or electrical pole

: based on or controlled by a single factor or view

China mistrusts a unipolar, U.S.-dominated world.—

Thomas A. Stewart

psychology : being, characteristic of, or affected by unipolar depression

unipolar depressive episodes

unipolar patients

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Forget the massive flareups that presage real, actual shifts in the world order (and which can certainly happen with US-China conflict) — when the Cold War was just a proxy war, many died than under the current more unipolar system. —

Roger Huang, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 Slavery was only possible in a unipolar world. —

Lauren Markham, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 To your question on the unipolar moment, indeed. —

CBS News, 29 June 2022 The unipolar moment crashed and burned in Kabul. —

Michael Krepon, Forbes, 30 Aug. 2021 The unipolar moment is over. —

Damon Linker, TheWeek, 9 Dec. 2020 Americans have enjoyed the economic, political, and security benefits of being number one in a unipolar world ever since the fall of the Soviet Union. —

Time, 17 Oct. 2022 Josh Hawley Soon after taking office in 2019, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley declared the unipolar moment over and blasted conservatives who wanted the United States to dominate the world. —

Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2022 For Africans, for black people, a unipolar world is hell on earth. —

Lauren Markham, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unipolar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of unipolar was in 1806

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Unipolar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unipolar. Accessed 7 Jun. 2023.

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Medical Definition

unipolar

adjective

uni·po·lar ˌyü-ni-ˈpō-lər

: involving or being an electrode or lead attached to the surface of a bodily site (as the chest) for recording the difference in electrical potential between the site and that of another electrode or lead having zero potential

of a neuron : having but one process