unilateral
pronunciation
How to pronounce unilateral in British English:
UK [ˌjuːnɪˈlætrəl]
How to pronounce unilateral in American English:
US [ˌjuːnɪˈlætrəl]
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- Adjective:
- involving only one part or side
- tracing descent from either the paternal or the maternal line only
Word Origin
- unilateral (adj.)
- 1802, from Modern Latin unilateralis, from unum, neuter of unus "one" (see one) + latus (genitive lateralis) "side" (see oblate (n.)). Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) may have been the first to use it in the legal sense of "made or entered into by one party." Related: Unilaterally. Unilateral disarmament is recorded from 1929. It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion. [William Ralph Inge, "Outspoken Essays," 1919]
Example
- 1. Unilateral moves can be difficult because of domestic politics .
- 2. They wrongly equated mutual dependence with unilateral leverage .
- 3. Three sunni provinces have made unilateral declarations of autonomy .
- 4. But this time the trend is unilateral , unco-ordinated and in one direction .
- 5. Logic points to a big risk of unilateral geoengineering .