unipolar
adjective
uni·po·lar
ˌyü-ni-ˈpō-lər 
1
: having or oriented in respect to a single pole: such as
a
: having or involving the use of a single magnetic or electrical pole
b
: based on or controlled by a single factor or view
China mistrusts a unipolar, U.S.-dominated world.—
Thomas A. Stewart
Thomas A. Stewart2
psychology
: being, characteristic of, or affected by unipolar depression
unipolar depressive episodes
unipolar patients
Examples of unipolar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump also saw that the post–Cold War defense paradigm—in which U.S. allies disarmed and relied ever more heavily on a unipolar superpower—was out of date.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Today, the United States is no longer a unipolar uber-power and this shift has dramatic implications for those inside, and outside, of our borders.
—TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The post–Cold War unipolar world, dominated by the United States, is becoming a multipolar one.
—Roger W. Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2025
Using silicon carbide instead of silicon in high-voltage devices will let manufacturers replace slow silicon bipolar transistors with single-carrier, or unipolar, devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, or MOSFETs.
—Burak Ozpineci, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Sep. 2011
See All Example Sentences for unipolar
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.
Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Today, the United States is no longer a unipolar uber-power and this shift has dramatic implications for those inside, and outside, of our borders.
—TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The post–Cold War unipolar world, dominated by the United States, is becoming a multipolar one.
—Roger W. Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2025
Using silicon carbide instead of silicon in high-voltage devices will let manufacturers replace slow silicon bipolar transistors with single-carrier, or unipolar, devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, or MOSFETs.
—Burak Ozpineci, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Sep. 2011
See All Example Sentences for unipolar
Cite this Entry
“Unipolar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unipolar. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
unipolar
adjective
uni·po·lar
ˌyü-ni-ˈpō-lər
1
: involving or being an electrode or lead attached to the surface of a bodily site (as the chest) for recording the difference in electrical potential between the site and that of another electrode or lead having zero potential
2
of a neuron
: having but one process
3
: being, characteristic of, or affected by unipolar depression
unipolar depressive episodes
unipolar patients
compare bipolar
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share