unilateral
adjective
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The world is a smaller place than it used to be, and we get uncomfortable when a single nation adopts a policy of unilateralism—that is, acting independently with little regard for what the rest of the world thinks. A unilateral invasion of another country, for instance, usually looks like a grab for power and resources. But occasionally the world welcomes a unilateral action, as when the U.S. announced unilateral nuclear-arms reductions in the early 1990s. Previously, such reductions had only happened as part of bilateral ("two-sided") agreements with the old Soviet Union. Multilateral agreements, on issues such as climate change, often involve most of the world's nations.
Examples of unilateral in a Sentence
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
Internationally, Trump's policies could contribute to a broader global shift away from multilateralism and democracy promotion, with many allies already wary of an inward-focused, unilateral U.S. stance.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Washington has consistently opposed unilateral digital taxes wherever they are found, seeing them as unfairly targeting chiefly American companies.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
Suitcase carries can prime climbers for unilateral movements.
—Alyssa Ages, Outside Online, 25 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near unilateral
Cite this Entry
“Unilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unilateral. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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