Meaning & use
unanimous
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Agreed on by everyone involved, with no one disagreeing.
Grammar: Describes a decision, vote, or agreement itself, not a single person: The decision was unanimous.
Patterns
- unanimous decision
- unanimous vote
- unanimous agreement
- unanimous in something
The committee reached an unanimous decision to approve the plan.
The jury's verdict was unanimous after only two hours of discussion.
The board was unanimous in its support for the new policy.
adjectivenot comparable
Acting or decided by all members of a group together, without any disagreement.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: an unanimous decision; or after a linking verb: The vote was unanimous.
Patterns
- unanimous support
- unanimous approval
- unanimous consent
The proposal received unanimous support from all departments.
The new law passed with unanimous approval in both houses.
The team gave unanimous consent to change the schedule.
Common combinations
- unanimous decision
- The judges made an unanimous decision to award first prize to the young pianist.
- unanimous vote
- The members cast an unanimous vote to increase the budget.
- unanimous agreement
- There was unanimous agreement that the project should continue.
- unanimous support
- The candidate enjoyed unanimous support from her party.
- unanimous in something
- The critics were unanimous in their praise for the film.
Synonyms and how they differ
- united
- Focuses on people being joined together in feeling or action, not necessarily on a formal decision or vote.
- undisputed
- Means not challenged or questioned, often because something is clearly true; it does not require a group vote.
- uncontested
- Used especially for elections or competitions where no one competes; unanimous means everyone who voted agreed.
Opposites
Word family
- unanimously adverb
- In a way that shows everyone agrees: The council voted unanimously.
- unanimity noun
- The state of everyone agreeing: The unanimity of the group surprised observers.
Commonly confused: unanimous or anonymous? unanimous or unanimity?
unanimous vs anonymous
Anonymous means having an unknown name, while unanimous means everyone agrees. They sound similar but are unrelated in meaning.
unanimous vs unanimity
Unanimity is the noun; unanimous is the adjective. Use unanimous before a noun (an unanimous vote) and unanimity as a subject or object (The unanimity was impressive).
Practice
The jury's decision was ______; all twelve members agreed.
Choose one answer.
The blank follows the linking verb 'was' and describes the decision, so the adjective 'unanimous' is correct. 'Unanimously' is an adverb and would need a verb like 'agreed' (They agreed unanimously). 'Unanimity' is a noun and would not fit after 'was' in this sense. 'Anonymous' means unnamed, which is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unanimous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.