multipolar

adjective

mul·​ti·​po·​lar ˌməl-tē-ˈpō-lər How to pronounce multipolar (audio)
-ˌtī-
1
: having several poles (see pole entry 3)
a multipolar generator
multipolar mitoses
2
: having several dendrites
multipolar neurons
3
: characterized by more than two centers of power or interest
a multipolar world
multipolarity
ˌməl-tē-pō-ˈler-ə-tē How to pronounce multipolar (audio)
-ˈla-rə-tē
-ˌtī-
noun

Examples of multipolar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And if Trump winds up accommodating Russia to pry it away from China, that would indicate that the United States must now navigate a multipolar world—exactly the understanding of geopolitics that the global South has come to embrace. Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 Under Xi, China has become more authoritarian, and Beijing has drawn closer to like-minded countries, including Russia and Iran, drawing intense hostility from Washington that sees this loose coalition of dictatorial nations as bent on creating a more dangerous and volatile multipolar world. Brad Dress, The Hill, 7 Jan. 2025 The United States needs to recognize and secure its interests in the reality of a multipolar world rather than futilely attempting to forestall multipolarity through a costly and self-defeating effort to disadvantage China. Nancy Okail, Foreign Affairs, 3 Dec. 2024 Boulos has been in touch with interlocutors across Lebanon's multipolar political world, three sources who spoke to him in recent months say, a rare feat in Lebanon, where decades-old rivalries between factions run deep. Andrea Shalal and Maya Gebeily, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for multipolar 

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of multipolar was in 1858

Dictionary Entries Near multipolar

Cite this Entry

“Multipolar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multipolar. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

Medical Definition

multipolar

adjective
mul·​ti·​po·​lar ˌməl-ti-ˈpō-lər How to pronounce multipolar (audio) -ˌtī- How to pronounce multipolar (audio)
1
: having several poles
multipolar mitoses
2
: having several dendrites
multipolar nerve cells
multipolarity noun
plural multipolarities
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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