unipolar

American  

[yoo-nuh-poh-ler] / ˌyu nəˈpoʊ lər /

adjective

1. Physics. Also having or pertaining to a single magnetic or electric pole.

2. Anatomy. of or relating to a nerve cell in spinal and cranial ganglia in which the incoming and outgoing processes fuse outside the cell body.

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unipolar British  

/ ˌjuːnɪpəʊˈlærɪtɪ, ˌjuːnɪˈpəʊlə /

adjective

1. of, concerned with, or having a single magnetic or electric pole

2. (of a nerve cell) having a single process

3. (of a transistor) utilizing charge carriers of one polarity only, as in a field-effect transistor

4. (of nervous depression) occurring without accompanying bouts of mania

5. dominated by one superpower, esp the United States See bipolar

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Other Word Forms

• unipolarity noun

Etymology

Origin of unipolar

First recorded in 1805–15; uni- + polar

Example Sentences

Yet if the U.S. has truly entered a unipolar moment, why are allies behaving as though American commitments remain uncertain?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Mr. Herman rightly notes that unipolar moments are fleeting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

While America’s "unipolar moment" would surely not "continue for centuries," its end, he predicted, “seems a long way off for now.”

From Salon • Dec. 1, 2024

And many patients who wind up with the label of bipolar disorder are initially misdiagnosed with unipolar depression.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2024

Under this head are included the forms of such creatures as possess unipolar bodies from which equal and corresponding outgrowths radiate in different directions.

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879 by Various