unanimous

unanimous — adjective

1. describing a situation in which every member of a group shares the same opinion

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a situation in which every member of a group shares the same opinion or gives the same answer — for example, a committee that votes the same way, or a decision that every person in the group supports.

Example

The board of directors reached a unanimous decision to hire Quan as the new CEO.

collocation: unanimous decision

Sirin's parents were unanimous in their opinion that she should study music.

be unanimous in + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • unanimous decision
  • unanimous vote
  • unanimous support
  • unanimous approval
  • unanimous agreement
  • almost unanimous
  • nearly unanimous
  • unanimous in
Synonyms
  • united

    broader meaning — can describe people who work together even without full agreement on every point

  • solid

    informal; suggests strong, unwavering group support rather than formal voting

  • undivided

    formal; emphasizes that attention, support, or loyalty is not split

  • harmonious

    focuses on peaceful cooperation rather than strict agreement

Antonyms
  • divided

    the most common opposite; describes a group with differing opinions

  • split

    suggests roughly equal opposition within the group

Grammar Patterns

unanimous + noun

be + unanimous

be + unanimous + in + noun/gerund

be + unanimous + that-clause

Usage Note

Applies to both people and decisions: either 'the jury was unanimous' (people) or 'a unanimous verdict' (decision). Quantifiers like 'almost' or 'nearly' are common before it to indicate strong but not total agreement. Not used for a single person — a lone individual cannot be unanimous.

Common Mistakes

The committee was unanimous to approve the plan.
The committee was unanimous in approving the plan.
unanimous takes 'in + gerund,' not a to-infinitive.
He was unanimous about the decision.
The group was unanimous in its decision.
unanimous describes a group, not an individual.

Word family

  • unanimously
    adverbB2
  • unanimity
    nounC1
  • non-unanimous
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe groups acting without internal conflict, but they differ in scope and register. United is the closest synonym and the broadest: people can be united behind a cause even if they disagree on details, whereas unanimous implies strict agreement on the specific matter at hand. Solid is informal and often appears in sports or workplace talk ('solid support from the team'); it suggests emotional commitment rather than formal accord. Unified stresses the act of being brought together, so it fits contexts where differences were resolved ('a unified strategy after weeks of debate'). Undivided is formal and most often pairs with abstract nouns like 'attention' or 'loyalty' rather than votes or decisions. In everyday use, 'the staff was united' means they worked as a team, while 'the staff was unanimous' means every single person voted the same way.

united ↗solid ↗unifiedundivided

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • unanimously
  • almost unanimously
  • nearly unanimously

Phrases

  • by a unanimous vote
  • with unanimous support
  • reach a unanimous decision

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'unanimus', a blend of 'unus' (one) and 'animus' (mind, spirit). So the ancient image is literally 'of one mind' — a group thinking with a single mind. The word entered English in the early 1600s and has kept this core image ever since.