as in explicit
so clearly expressed as to leave no doubt about the meaning
those who believe that the language of the Bible is univocal: it is never metaphorical but intended to be taken literally
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Recent Examples of univocal
Similarly, the dozens of people whom Greaves interviews in the film aren’t delivering a single and univocal history of the Harlem Renaissance but a polyphonic transmission of it.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
At a press event this week, the new Paramount leadership expressed their univocal support for theatrical movies.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025
An understanding of user diversity is often unexplored territory for brands, requiring a shift from univocal to multi-frequency communication that constantly and comprehensively reignites connection with targets, drawing them in and reaffirming values, proving to be a true asset.
—Fairchild Studio, WWD, 26 Nov. 2024
Her inability to distill a message from her show is a testament not so much to Jane’s insufficient writerly chops as to the challenge of wringing out a univocal meaning from biracial America.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2024
Today’s political mainstream consists of a rising univocal, powerful, and intolerant pro-war movement for which the invasion is existential.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2022
Yet, as with almost everything Shostakovich wrote, the score defeats a univocal interpretation, its classical four-movement structure interlaced with political, personal, and purely musical messages.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022
Who Lived Her Songs—Cash greatly complicates the popcult caricature of country music as a univocal genre of jingoist belligerence and boosterism, as exemplified by Toby Keith, Daryl Worley, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-career Charlie Daniels.
—Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 7 Dec. 2021
But the narrative emerging from key players in the Arab world for which Tunisia’s Arab Spring legacy presents a clear challenge — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — was far more univocal: The events in Tunisia marked the death knell for political Islam in democracy.
—Washington Post, 27 July 2021
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
At a press event this week, the new Paramount leadership expressed their univocal support for theatrical movies.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025
An understanding of user diversity is often unexplored territory for brands, requiring a shift from univocal to multi-frequency communication that constantly and comprehensively reignites connection with targets, drawing them in and reaffirming values, proving to be a true asset.
—Fairchild Studio, WWD, 26 Nov. 2024
Her inability to distill a message from her show is a testament not so much to Jane’s insufficient writerly chops as to the challenge of wringing out a univocal meaning from biracial America.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2024
Today’s political mainstream consists of a rising univocal, powerful, and intolerant pro-war movement for which the invasion is existential.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2022
Yet, as with almost everything Shostakovich wrote, the score defeats a univocal interpretation, its classical four-movement structure interlaced with political, personal, and purely musical messages.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022
Who Lived Her Songs—Cash greatly complicates the popcult caricature of country music as a univocal genre of jingoist belligerence and boosterism, as exemplified by Toby Keith, Daryl Worley, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-career Charlie Daniels.
—Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 7 Dec. 2021
But the narrative emerging from key players in the Arab world for which Tunisia’s Arab Spring legacy presents a clear challenge — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — was far more univocal: The events in Tunisia marked the death knell for political Islam in democracy.
—Washington Post, 27 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for univocal
Adjective
-
The last episode of the show saw Sweeney’s character, Cassie Howard, in another explicit scene, this time featuring a yellow python.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
18 May 2026
-
Some groups, especially ones that skewed younger or more explicit in their content, declined to share details on the record.—
Kate Lavelle,
Glamour,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Meeks said there was a definite measure of satisfaction derived from the project.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
From one set of perspectives, money is said to be a thing that exists in a definite quantity—ideally gold, but now bits on a computer; ensuring that the right amount of money exists is the only way to avoid a host of macro-economic problems.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Guests rub shoulders with neighborhood executives looking for an express lunch with colleagues at Il Cittadino.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
-
The bus will be rerouted to Alma Street and go express without stops from Page Mill Road and the Palo Alto Transit Center.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The odds usually appeared alone, without referencing any specific sportsbook, but, periodically, text appeared in the ticker saying they were provided by DraftKings.—
Luke Connors,
Washington Post,
19 May 2026
-
Police have not released a specific motive for the shooting the suspect's name.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
With Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, there is not even a definitive historical consensus on where those boys died.—
Charley Crockett,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
-
There was a sense of endings at St James’ Park; not definitive, not complete, but persuasive, a final home game for Kieran Trippier as a Newcastle player, and a feeble waft of farewell in the colour of claret.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Univocal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/univocal. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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