Meaning & use
unicameral
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Having a single legislative chamber or house, rather than two.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a unicameral legislature. No comparative forms.
Patterns
- unicameral legislature
- unicameral parliament
- unicameral system
Nebraska is the only US state with a unicameral legislature.
The country switched to a unicameral parliament in 1953.
In a unicameral system, bills are reviewed by only one chamber.
Common combinations
- unicameral legislature
- A unicameral legislature can pass laws more quickly than a bicameral one.
- unicameral parliament
- The new constitution established a unicameral parliament.
- unicameral system
- New Zealand uses a unicameral system.
- unicameral body
- The city council is a unicameral body with 15 members.
Synonyms and how they differ
- one-chamber
- Less formal and not a technical term; use it in everyday writing when you mean a single house.
- single-house
- Describes the same structure but is not the standard political-science term.
Opposites
Word family
- unicameralism noun
- The principle or practice of having a single legislative chamber.
Commonly confused: unicameral or bicameral? unicameral or unilateral?
unicameral vs bicameral
Bicameral means having two chambers, like the US Congress; unicameral means only one.
unicameral vs unilateral
Unilateral means done by one side alone, not about the number of legislative houses.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unicameral' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A unicameral legislature has one chamber; option 1 contradicts itself, and options 2 and 3 describe bicameral systems.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unicameral”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.