unipolar
adjective
uni·po·lar
ˌyü-ni-ˈpō-lər 
1
: having or oriented in respect to a single pole: such as
a
: having or involving the use of a single magnetic or electrical pole
b
: based on or controlled by a single factor or view
China mistrusts a unipolar, U.S.-dominated world.—
Thomas A. Stewart
Thomas A. Stewart2
psychology
: being, characteristic of, or affected by unipolar depression
unipolar depressive episodes
unipolar patients
Examples of unipolar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also contributed significantly to the squandering of its unipolar moment and setting off the decline of the American century.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
Fascinating recent academic research has detailed how Saddam Hussein feared the emergent post-Cold War unipolar world after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
The rise of China, along with regional powers such as Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, has disrupted the unipolar dominance of the U.S.
These would-be regional hegemons bring with them their own means of imposing influence through economic incentives and coercion.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
The collapse of the Soviet Union ushered in a unipolar world where the U.S. pursued expansion of the NATO military alliance to include former Soviet-bloc countries.
—Clare Morell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
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Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
Fascinating recent academic research has detailed how Saddam Hussein feared the emergent post-Cold War unipolar world after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
The rise of China, along with regional powers such as Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, has disrupted the unipolar dominance of the U.S.
These would-be regional hegemons bring with them their own means of imposing influence through economic incentives and coercion.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
The collapse of the Soviet Union ushered in a unipolar world where the U.S. pursued expansion of the NATO military alliance to include former Soviet-bloc countries.
—Clare Morell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unipolar
Cite this Entry
“Unipolar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unipolar. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
unipolar
adjective
uni·po·lar
ˌyü-ni-ˈpō-lər
1
: 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
2
of a neuron
: having but one process
3
: being, characteristic of, or affected by unipolar depression
unipolar depressive episodes
unipolar patients
compare bipolar
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