unity

[ yoo-ni-tee ]

noun

, plural u·ni·ties.

1. the state of being one; oneness.

   Synonyms: individuality, singularity, singleness

   Antonyms: variety, diversity

2. a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one.
3. the state or fact of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; unification.
4. absence of diversity; unvaried or uniform character.
5. oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.

   Synonyms: unison, concert

6. Mathematics.
   1. the number one; a quantity regarded as one.
   2. identity ( def 9 ).
7. (in literature and art) a relation of all the parts or elements of a work constituting a harmonious whole and producing a single general effect.
8. one of the three principles of dramatic structure the three unities derived from Aristotelian aesthetics and formalized in the neoclassic canon in which a play is required to represent action as taking place in one day unity of time, as occurring within one place unity of place, and as having a single plot with a beginning, middle, and end unity of action.

unity

/ ˈjuːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being one; oneness
2. the act, state, or quality of forming a whole from separate parts
3. something whole or complete that is composed of separate parts
4. mutual agreement; harmony or concord

   the participants were no longer in unity

5. uniformity or constancy

   unity of purpose

6. maths
   1. the number or numeral one
   2. a quantity assuming the value of one

      the area of the triangle was regarded as unity

   3. the element of a set producing no change in a number following multiplication
7. the arrangement of the elements in a work of art in accordance with a single overall design or purpose
8. any one of the three principles of dramatic structure deriving from Aristotle's Poetics by which the action of a play should be limited to a single plot (unity of action), a single location (unity of place), and the events of a single day (unity of time)

Other Words From

• non·uni·ty noun plural nonunities
• self-uni·ty noun
• super·uni·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unity¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English unite, from Old French, from Latin ūnitās, from ūn(us) one + -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of unity¹

C13: from Old French unité, from Latin ūnitās, from ūnus one

Synonym Study

See union.

Example Sentences

It was a rare moment of bipartisan unity in partisan Washington.

From The Daily Beast

The whir of the circling NYPD helicopter muffled their chants calling for unity and calling out police brutality.

From The Daily Beast

The pulse of the music gives the film a thrilling kind of unity.

From The Daily Beast

Last year they joined with the widows of the men from Popular Unity in calling for an investigation into the triple homicide.

From The Daily Beast

But the unity deal failed to materialize after the Palestinian Authority declined to pay the salaries of Hamas civil servants.

From The Daily Beast

The want of unity amongst the natives themselves was a great help to the Americansʼ plans.

From Project Gutenberg

This congress was the first significant step in the direction of unity for the British colonies in America.

From Project Gutenberg

I was vexed that the woman of the party wore a dress evidently of French fashion: it spoiled the unity of the groupe.

From Project Gutenberg

He taught the unity of God, and forcibly declaimed against all those who gave him associates.

From Project Gutenberg

It also greatly disturbed the internal unity of the Church, and that in a manner peculiarly prejudicial to its well-being.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• agreement
• consensus
• harmony
• identity
• integrity
• peace
• solidarity
• unanimity
• unification