bilateral

adjective

Definition of bilateralnext
as in cooperative
involving two groups or countries; having or affecting two sides bilateral trade agreements a bilateral treaty

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bilateral The president made additional comments ahead of his bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. — Jamie Gray, NBC news, 9 July 2026 Just months later, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited London and agreed to boost bilateral trade to $60 billion. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026 Competing in the coordination impairment category, Martin was born with bilateral neurogenic club feet. — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2026 Trump told Zelenskyy during a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. — Elise Spenner, ABC News, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bilateral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilateral
  1. cooperative
  2. collective
  3. communal
  4. reciprocal
  5. shared
  6. consensual
Adjective
  • He was replaced by Magyar, a former member of Orbán’s Fidesz party whom many observers hope will be a more cooperative international partner.
    — Brett R. Chloupek, The Conversation, 15 July 2026
  • This cooperative aspect helps structure and play work together without strain.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026
Definition of cooperative
Adjective
  • That does not require the unified Gulf foreign policy that would recreate Saudi tutelage in collective form.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • The sisters’ collective upper limb development also suggests high-intensity, repetitive actions like holding a heavy weapon or pulling a bowstring.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 17 July 2026
Definition of collective
Adjective
  • Enter the World Cup and the soccer fans who traveled from around the world to support their national teams and engage in communal celebration or sorrow.
    — Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 17 July 2026
  • Plenty of similar parties benefit from the same big-tent communal mindset.
    — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
Definition of communal
Adjective
  • While this model is not appropriate for autistic persons with severe language disabilities, most autistic youth and adults have the reciprocal language to engage in a coaching relationship.
    — Doreen Samelson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • According to Tidal, the idea of Nas creating a playlist inspired by Jay-Z’s career was both reciprocal and congratulatory.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of reciprocal
Adjective
  • Our pacers teach us careful path etiquette (two-by-two, tight to the right) and encourage us to be thoughtful stewards of our shared space.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • Palmer says the project grew out of the shared grief and upheaval of recent years.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 9 July 2026
Definition of shared
Adjective
  • Ardélia and mother Ana, an erotic poet, level up about the non-consensual distribution of Ardélia’s intimate photos at age 15.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 13 July 2026
  • His defense reportedly claimed the encounters were consensual.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Definition of consensual

Browse Nearby Words

bikeways
bilateral
bile
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilateral. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bilateral

Nglish: Translation of bilateral for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All