Word
unanimity
Phoneticsuna·nim·i·ty
US/ˌjunəˈnɪməti/
UK/juːnɐnˈɪmɪti/
Uncountable noun
Definition
n. a situation where every single person in a group agrees on the same thing. When there is unanimity, no one disagrees or votes against the decision.
n. the state of being in total agreement; a condition where all members of a group share the same opinion or vote. Often used in legal or political contexts to describe a consensus that lacks any dissenting voices.
Examples
“The committee reached unanimity on the new budget.”
“The jury's unanimity was required for a conviction, leading to hours of intense deliberation behind closed doors.”
“Despite the initial friction between the various factions, the final resolution achieved a rare level of unanimity that surprised even the most cynical political observers.”
Examples
simple
“The committee reached unanimity on the new budget.”
contextual
“The jury's unanimity was required for a conviction, leading to hours of intense deliberation behind closed doors.”
complex
“Despite the initial friction between the various factions, the final resolution achieved a rare level of unanimity that surprised even the most cynical political observers.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “unanimity” in context.
Verb
01. achieve unanimity
“The negotiators worked through the night to achieve unanimity on the final draft.”
verb + noun
02. break unanimity
“One dissenting voice was enough to break the unanimity of the jury.”
verb + noun
03. require unanimity
“Constitutional changes require unanimity among all member states to be passed.”
verb + noun
04. unanimity exists
“Broad unanimity exists on the need for urgent climate action.”
noun + verb
05. unanimity prevails
“Despite initial disagreements, unanimity prevailed during the final vote.”
noun + verb
Adjective
06. complete unanimity
“The committee reached a state of complete unanimity regarding the new safety protocols.”
adj + noun
07. rare unanimity
“In a moment of rare unanimity, both political parties supported the emergency bill.”
adj + noun
08. virtual unanimity
“There was virtual unanimity among the board members that the CEO should resign.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. degree of unanimity
“The high degree of unanimity in the poll results surprised the researchers.”
noun + prep + noun
10. lack of unanimity
“The lack of unanimity among experts has caused confusion for the public.”
noun + prep + noun
11. reach a consensus of unanimity
“The council struggled to reach a consensus of unanimity on the budget cuts.”
12. vote with absolute unanimity
“The shareholders voted with absolute unanimity to approve the merger.”
Usage
Often follows the verbs 'reach', 'achieve', or 'require'.
Real-World Examples
“As many see it, a thorn in the EU’s side is that major decisions require unanimity among its members.” “For decades, Florida had not required unanimity in capital punishment, allowing a judge to impose the death penalty as long as a majority of jurors were in favor of the penalty.” “More generally, we may distinguish between expert unanimity, in which virtually none of the relevant experts disagrees with some theory, with expert consensus, in which some non-negligible proportion of the experts either rejects or is uncertain about the theory.” “But there is unanimity on a crucial point: None said the military had come under a large-scale attack in Inn Din.” Etymology
From unanim(ous) + -ity, from Middle French unanimité, from Late Latin ūnanimitās. Displaced native Old English ānmōdnes (literally “one-mindedness”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
In Music
Cover shown under fair use for identification and commentary.
Unanimity · 2018 · Jazz
- Artist:
- Joshua Redman
- Album:
- Still Dreaming
Joshua Redman's quartet plays this track on Still Dreaming, the 2018 jazz album released on Nonesuch. The title uses the word in its ordinary sense: complete agreement among all the people involved. It is a fitting name for four musicians improvising as one.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/unanimity