bilateral
adjective
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Since the prefix bi- means "two" in Latin, bilateral means essentially "two-sided". In the days when there were two superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union regularly engaged in bilateral arms negotiations; such negotiations are much less common today. Sometimes bilateral refers to two sides of the same thing. A bilateral hip replacement, for instance, replaces both hip bones in the same operation. And bilateral symmetry (a term often used by biologists) refers to the fact that, in many organisms (such as humans), the left side is basically the mirror image of the right side.
Examples of bilateral in a Sentence
Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2025
Pope Francis had reportedly been struggling to breathe and speak before being admitted on Feb. 14 to a Rome hospital, where he was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21, 2025, after battling bilateral pneumonia in the months preceding his death.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The Pope had been dealing with serious health issues and was hospitalized for 38 days in February and March with bilateral pneumonia and bronchitis.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bilateral
Cite this Entry
“Bilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilateral. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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