unilateral

[ yoo-nuh-lat-er-uhl ]

adjective

1. relating to, occurring on, or involving one side only:

   unilateral development; a unilateral approach.

2. undertaken or done by or on behalf of one side, party, or faction only; not mutual:

   a unilateral decision; unilateral disarmament.

3. having only one side or surface; without a reverse side or inside, as a Möbius strip.
4. Law.
   1. pertaining to a contract that can be formed only when the party to whom an offer is made renders the performance for which the offeror bargains.
   2. pertaining to a contract in which obligation rests on only one party, as a binding promise to make a gift.
5. Botany. having all the parts disposed on one side of an axis, as an inflorescence.
6. through forebears of one sex only, as through either the mother's or father's line. Compare bilateral ( def 5 ).
7. Phonetics. (of an l -sound) characterized by passage of air on only one side of the tongue.

unilateral

/ ˌjuːnɪˈlætərəl /

adjective

1. of, having, affecting, or occurring on only one side
2. involving or performed by only one party of several

   unilateral disarmament

3. law (of contracts, obligations, etc) made by, affecting, or binding one party only and not involving the other party in reciprocal obligations
4. botany having or designating parts situated or turned to one side of an axis
5. sociol relating to or tracing the line of descent through ancestors of one sex only Compare bilateral
6. phonetics denoting an (l) sound produced on one side of the tongue only

Derived Forms

• ˌuniˈlateralism, noun
• ˌuniˈlaterally, adverb

Other Words From

• u·ni·lat·er·al·i·ty [yoo-n, uh, -lat-, uh, -, ral, -i-tee], noun
• u·ni·lat·er·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unilateral¹

From the New Latin word ūnilaterālis, dating back to 1795–1805. See uni-, lateral

Example Sentences

Trump in recent days has suggested that the Senate should give him unilateral power to appoint all of his nominees through recess appointments, which do not need Senate approval.

From Los Angeles Times

Although he served as legal adviser to the Department of State in the Obama administration, in his warnings about the perils posed by the slide towards unilateral presidential powers, Harold Hongju Kou concedes that the president could have done more to curtail the Bush-era enhancement of the powers of the president.

From Salon

While Obama adhered more closely to restraints on presidential power than his predecessor, his administration did not make the kinds of structural and procedural changes necessary to deter future presidents from following in the footsteps of the Bush administration, as we were soon to learn, since, as Koh points out, enhanced unilateral presidential and executive powers would be “sharply re-intensified” under Donald Trump.

From Salon

A second Trump presidency will undoubtedly take unilateral presidential powers to a new level.

From Salon

The growing power of the presidency has been taking place in plain view, as unilateral powers have accumulated decade after decade in the Oval Office, while the recent choice of president has also become a grim choice about the nature and powers of the presidency itself.

From Salon