# unity

/ˈjunəti/ (US) · /jˈuːnɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/unity
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. togetherness and agreement

noun · CEFR B2

a situation where people or groups agree with each other and work together for a shared purpose.

For teachers: the state of being joined together or in agreement as a whole; social or political concord.

- The crisis brought a sense of unity to the community as everyone helped their neighbors.
- The political leaders called for national unity in the face of the economic downturn, urging citizens to set aside partisan differences.

### 2. the state of being one

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

the quality of being a single, complete thing that is not divided.

For teachers: the state or fact of being one undivided entity; oneness or wholeness.

- The artist tried to create a sense of unity between the different colors in the painting.
- The philosopher argued that the unity of the self is a necessary condition for any coherent experience of the world.

### 3. the number one

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the number 1, or something that has the value of 1 in math.

For teachers: the number one or the identity element in a mathematical set under multiplication.

- In this equation, the variable is equal to unity.
- The proof requires that the absolute value of the complex number be equal to unity for the sequence to converge.

### 4. rules of drama

noun · CEFR C2 · Academic · Formal

one of the three traditional rules for writing plays: keeping the same time, place, or action.

For teachers: any of the three classical Aristotelian rules of drama: unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time.

- The playwright followed the unity of time by having the whole story happen in one afternoon.
- Neoclassical critics insisted on the strict observance of the three unities to ensure the verisimilitude of the theatrical experience.

## Examples

- The team showed great unity during the difficult match.
- The president called for national unity to help the country recover from the recent crisis.
- While the individual states maintain their own laws, they strive for economic unity to ensure a stable and competitive market across the entire continent.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.