What does unanimity mean?
Unanimity means complete agreement among all members of a group. It is especially common in formal and political contexts, where it describes a vote, decision, recommendation, or opinion supported by everyone rather than merely by most people. The word carries a strong implication of consensus without dissent or opposition, although real-world decisions may be reported as unanimous even when discussion has taken place. In British and American English, unanimity is used in settings such as parliamentary debates, court juries, committees, boards, and public consultations. Related forms include the adjective unanimous, meaning expressing complete agreement, and the adverb unanimously, meaning by agreement of everyone. Although unanimity is usually treated as an abstract and uncountable concept, the rare plural unanimities can refer to separate instances of agreement. The word is useful when precision matters: it distinguishes total or unqualified consensus from ordinary majority approval.
nounComplete agreement among all members of a group. The term often refers to a shared opinion, decision, or vote reached without meaningful dissent.
- Complete agreement among all members of a group, especially on an opinion, decision, or vote.
"The proposal was approved by unanimity."
"The jury reached unanimity after deliberating for several hours."
"There was broad unanimity among the council members about the need for reform."
Rare and usually countable when referring to separate instances of complete agreement; the abstract sense is normally singular.
"The report noted unanimities on both staffing and budget matters."
From the Latin for “of one mind,” unanimity is the rare moment when a whole group speaks with one unmistakable voice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unanimity come from?
Unanimity comes from Latin unanimitas, a noun formed from unanimis, meaning “of one mind” or “in agreement.” The Latin stem combines unus, “one,” with animus, “mind” or “spirit.” English borrowed the word in the early 17th century, and the related adjective unanimous comes through the same Latin and French tradition.
Related word forms
How unanimity is actually used
Generally formal and institutional, especially in discussions of voting, juries, committees, parliaments, and public opinion. It is usually singular and often appears with expressions such as “with unanimity” or “reach unanimity.”
Easily confused with unanimity
Unanimity is the state of complete agreement, while unanimous describes the people, vote, or decision expressing that agreement.