as in explicit
so clearly expressed as to leave no doubt about the meaning
those who believe that the language of the Bible is univocal: it is never metaphorical but intended to be taken literally
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Recent Examples of univocal
An understanding of user diversity is often unexplored territory for brands, requiring a shift from univocal to multi-frequency communication that constantly and comprehensively reignites connection with targets, drawing them in and reaffirming values, proving to be a true asset.
—
Fairchild Studio, WWD, 26 Nov. 2024
Her inability to distill a message from her show is a testament not so much to Jane’s insufficient writerly chops as to the challenge of wringing out a univocal meaning from biracial America.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2024
Today’s political mainstream consists of a rising univocal, powerful, and intolerant pro-war movement for which the invasion is existential.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2022
But the narrative emerging from key players in the Arab world for which Tunisia’s Arab Spring legacy presents a clear challenge — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — was far more univocal: The events in Tunisia marked the death knell for political Islam in democracy.
—Washington Post, 27 July 2021
Yet, as with almost everything Shostakovich wrote, the score defeats a univocal interpretation, its classical four-movement structure interlaced with political, personal, and purely musical messages.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022
Who Lived Her Songs—Cash greatly complicates the popcult caricature of country music as a univocal genre of jingoist belligerence and boosterism, as exemplified by Toby Keith, Daryl Worley, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-career Charlie Daniels.
—Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 7 Dec. 2021
To be sure, a great deal of Irish verse during the 1910s and 1920s, univocal ‘in the intensity and wrath of [its] invective,’ lacked the rhetorical nuance of Yeats’ Modernism.
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 20 May 2021
According to the Morgans, the House of Commons allowed no American petition to be read into the record and debated, on the grounds of a univocal recoil, by the Commons, from the Americans’ assertion of the right of representation.
—William Hogeland, The New Republic, 25 Jan. 2021
Fairchild Studio, WWD, 26 Nov. 2024
Her inability to distill a message from her show is a testament not so much to Jane’s insufficient writerly chops as to the challenge of wringing out a univocal meaning from biracial America.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2024
Today’s political mainstream consists of a rising univocal, powerful, and intolerant pro-war movement for which the invasion is existential.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2022
But the narrative emerging from key players in the Arab world for which Tunisia’s Arab Spring legacy presents a clear challenge — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — was far more univocal: The events in Tunisia marked the death knell for political Islam in democracy.
—Washington Post, 27 July 2021
Yet, as with almost everything Shostakovich wrote, the score defeats a univocal interpretation, its classical four-movement structure interlaced with political, personal, and purely musical messages.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022
Who Lived Her Songs—Cash greatly complicates the popcult caricature of country music as a univocal genre of jingoist belligerence and boosterism, as exemplified by Toby Keith, Daryl Worley, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-career Charlie Daniels.
—Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 7 Dec. 2021
To be sure, a great deal of Irish verse during the 1910s and 1920s, univocal ‘in the intensity and wrath of [its] invective,’ lacked the rhetorical nuance of Yeats’ Modernism.
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 20 May 2021
According to the Morgans, the House of Commons allowed no American petition to be read into the record and debated, on the grounds of a univocal recoil, by the Commons, from the Americans’ assertion of the right of representation.
—William Hogeland, The New Republic, 25 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for univocal
Adjective
-
The attack followed Qatar's decision to close its airspace amid rising tensions and explicit threats from Tehran.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
-
The second critical factor is establishing explicit working models and expectations upfront.—
AJ Bubb,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
And given that toppers were developed specifically as a lighter, simpler alternative to full-bodied campers, designed to fit within limited midsize truck payloads, that extra beef is a definite problem for some shoppers.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 June 2025
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The key was batting behind Ruth, a definite candidate for the greatest player.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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The universities in their lawsuit argue that the 15% cap on reimbursement rates for those indirect costs flouted the regulatory regime governing them and Congress' express directives.—
Nate Rayond,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
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And consider hiring outside talent from the outside with the express goal of being spun out again in a year or two.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Many are created in order to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most effectively for a specific hair type (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair).—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
26 June 2025
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Flavors can span sweet, bitter, acidic, fatty and creamy, with specific tasting notes that might include cacao, blue cheese, pumpkin, or even bacon or chives.—
Tom Downey,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
23 June 2025
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Such discrepancies in Bach’s manuscripts show that no definitive version of the Mass exists and that modern performers are free to follow their intuition.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Univocal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/univocal. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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