unitary
unitary — adjective
- unitarypositive
- more unitarycomparative
- most unitarysuperlative
1. describing a country or political system where one national government makes all
describing a country or political system where one national government makes all the important decisions, rather than sharing power with states or regions.
France has a unitary system where Paris makes laws for the whole country.
unitary system — describing centralized government structure
Ramón studied how unitary governments differ from federal ones in his politics class.
In a unitary state, the central parliament can overrule any regional decision.
Denmark became a unitary kingdom after centuries of smaller regions coming together.
The prime minister argued that a unitary structure keeps public services fair across the nation.
- centralized
emphasises where authority sits, used more broadly beyond government
- monolithic
often carries a negative tone, suggesting excessive rigidity or uniformity
- federal
divides power between central and regional governments
文法句型
unitary + [state/system/government/authority]
用法筆記
Typically used attributively before nouns such as 'state', 'system', 'government', or 'authority'. Distinguish from 'federal', which divides power between central and regional bodies rather than concentrating it.
常見錯誤
2. describing something whose separate parts are joined into one complete entity th
describing something whose separate parts are joined into one complete entity that cannot be split apart.
The company created a unitary brand so all its products look the same.
unitary brand — describing a single unified identity
Zola saw the team as a unitary group, not just a collection of individuals.
The new software combines three tools into one unitary platform for users.
The committee used a unitary approach, treating all the separate complaints as one connected problem, to reach a clear solution.
Shanti believed the community should act as a unitary body during the crisis.
- unified
more common and less formal; often implies a process of bringing parts together
- integrated
emphasises the combining of separate elements into a working whole
- cohesive
stresses how well the parts stick together rather than the fact of being one unit
- fragmented
emphasises being broken into disconnected pieces
文法句型
unitary + [whole/entity/approach]
[be/become] + unitary
用法筆記
Often found in academic, technical, or philosophical writing. Can appear both before a noun and after a linking verb. This sense is more general than sense 1, which is restricted to political systems.