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 Syria's new leadership has aimed to maintain strong bilateral ties with Moscow. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026 The two leaders discussed their countries' efforts toward joining the European Union, bilateral ties and ways to expand cooperation. — Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026 The agreement was not directed against any specific actor, was open ​to ⁠other regional countries, and did not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements, the official added. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026 Cooperation would include bilateral research, development and co-production of weapons and technology in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other fields. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Aug. 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
  • But outside factors might not be so cooperative going forward.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The law sets exceptions for certain schools and academies, including year-round schools, cooperative innovative/early college schools and qualifying districts that have a good-cause calendar waiver.
    — Zaire Breedlove, Charlotte Observer, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of cooperative
Adjective
  • Perhaps all of this is overly negative, and the downsides of these collective risks have been overemphasised.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Musk presented the arrangement, arguing that SpaceX’s workforce includes some of the world’s strongest engineers and that their collective knowledge could help shape a more capable AI system.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of collective
Adjective
  • To start, the gathering/communal spaces are very well designed but still very cozy.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Apart from material assistance, volunteers seek to provide some measure of emotional salve for the communal trauma.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of communal
Adjective
  • Breaking force balance In ordinary passive systems, interactions are reciprocal.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Choose the invitation, cause, or friendship that feels genuinely reciprocal.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of reciprocal
Adjective
  • However, from Wolfson’s perspective, the appropriate response is to rely on rigorous peer review, open debate, and strong shared governance rather than political tests conducted outside colleges and universities.
    — Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Americans rarely agree on much, but there is sudden, shared anger about data centers.
    — Jason Bailey, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of shared
Adjective
  • The influencer had amassed 50,000 followers, but not by respecting the boundaries of personal space — let alone the legal consequences of non-consensual filming inside a changing room.
    — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026
  • This type of abuse can happen to anyone, including minors, but women account for 90% of victims of the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Aug. 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 17 Aug. 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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All