A unilateral decision or action is taken by only one of the groups, organizations, or countries that are involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of the others.
...unilateral nuclear disarmament.
unilaterallyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
The British Government was careful not to act unilaterally.
unilateral in British English
(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. sociology
relating to or tracing the line of descent through ancestors of one sex only
Compare bilateral (sense 5)
6. phonetics
denoting an (l) sound produced on one side of the tongue only
Derived forms
unilateralism (ˌuniˈlateralism) or unilaterality (ˌuniˌlaterˈality)
noun
unilaterally (ˌuniˈlaterally)
adverb
unilateral in American English
(ˌjunəˈlætərəl)
adjective
1.
of, occurring on, or affecting one side only
2.
involving or obligating one only of several persons or parties; done or undertaken by one only; not reciprocal
a unilateral contract
3.
taking into account one side only of a matter; one-sided
4.
unilineal
5.
turned to one side
6. Biology
arranged or produced on one side of an axis
Derived forms
unilateralism (ˌuniˈlateralˌism)
noun
unilaterally (ˌuniˈlaterally)
adverb
Word origin
ModL unilateralis: see uni- & lateral
Examples of 'unilateral' in a sentence
unilateral
`There's unilateral divorce these days. I don't need your consent.
Alex George LOVE YOU MADLY (2002)
Wilfred had taken an animal's unilateral decision and run on ahead.
Salley Vickers MR GOLIGHTLY'S HOLIDAY (2002)
And this arrangement -- if something so unilateral could be called an `arrangement' -- suited Bridget.
Salley Vickers INSTANCES OF THE NUMBER 3 (2002)
"The Witch didn't much care, but she wasn't inclined to accept a unilateral dictum without a retort.
Gregory Maguire WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST (2002)
In other languages
unilateral
British English: unilateral ADJECTIVE
A unilateral decision or action is taken by only one of the groups, organizations, or countries that are involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of the others.