Make Your Point > Archived Issues > UNANIMITY

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connect today's word to others: When we all share the same opinion--and the result is harmony, cooperation, a united sense of purpose among the group--we call our agreement unanimity. But when we try so hard to get everybody to agree that we stop people from raising valid reasons for disagreement--and the result is a stupid or terrible decision--that's gr______nk.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "UNANIMITY" Most of us are more familiar with the adjective: "unanimous," which literally means "one-spirited" or "one-minded." Unanimous groups of people, and unanimous things, are united in agreement. In other words, when something is unanimous, all the people involved agree: they feel the same way, have the same opinion, or want the same thing. Unanimity, then, is the state of everybody agreeing with each other, or the quality of everybody agreeing with each other. Pronunciation: YOU nuh NIM ih tee Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the unanimity," "this unanimity," "the group's unanimity," "such unanimity," "no unanimity," and so on, but we rarely say "one unanimity" or " unanimities." However, you can say "a unanimity" if you mean a particular example of it, as in "They had a unanimity of votes.") Other forms: unanimous (you NAN ih muss), unanimously How to use it: "Unanimity" has a strong, positive, often serious tone. We talk about unanimity when it exists among juries, councils, lawmakers, families and groups of friends, communities, cultures, and the whole human race. (Notice that we don't use "unanimity" to talk about only two people who agree.) So, talk about a group's unanimity, a decision's unanimity, an opinion's unanimity, etc. Groups can speak with unanimity, act with unanimity, decide with unanimity, and embrace an idea or opinion with unanimity. And we can say that certain choices, especially among juries or lawmakers, need unanimity or require unanimity in order to be carried out. Though you often talk about unanimity among a group, in a group, or within a group, you can also follow "unanimity" with "of:" a unanimity of votes, a unanimity of purpose, unanimity of intention, unanimity of judgment.  (You might wonder if I should have typed "an" instead of "a" before "unanimity," since it starts with a vowel, "u." But we say and write "a" before "unanimity" because it sounds like it starts with a consonant, "y:" "YOU nuh NIM ih tee." The same goes for "a union," "a university," and so on.) Lastly, although we usually talk about unanimity among people, you can also say that there's unanimity among data, research, predictions and predictive models, and other things that "agree." examples: The film 12 Angry Men takes place almost entirely within a single room, as the twelve jurors work toward unanimity. Billions of people might think that faith in the unproven is a virtue, but some will still think it's a vice. We will never reach unanimity on that point.  study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "unanimity" means when you can explain it without saying "universal agreement" or "accord." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "There is near unanimity among (a certain group of people) that (something is true or that something should be done)." Example: "According to NASA, there is near unanimity among climate scientists, as well as scientific organizations, that human activities caused climate change." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we're strengthening our word-finding skills as we take aim at a vague little adjective and think up three ways to make it more specific. Resist the urge to sneak off to the thesaurus! From yesterday: GOOD. 1. When something is so GOOD that it makes you feel happy, like you don't need anything else, then instead of GOOD, call it _____. 2. When something is so GOOD that you just have to talk about it and tell other people how good it is, instead of GOOD, call it _____. 3. When something is so GOOD that you'd be willing to trade a lot of time or money for it, instead of GOOD, call it _____. Suggested answers: 1, satisfying; 2, commendable; 3, valuable. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Today: BAD. 1. When something is BAD because it doesn't work the way it's supposed to, then instead of BAD, call it _____. 2. When something is BAD because it makes you worry and stress over it all the time, then instead of BAD, call it _____. 3. When something is BAD because it came out of nowhere and hurt a lot of people or things, then instead of BAD, call it _____. review today's word: 1. The opposite of UNANIMITY is A. DISCORD B. ANIMATION C. IMAGINATION 2. Despite unanimity that _____ play an essential role in society, _____. A. classroom teachers .. their salaries remain relatively low B. gifs and memes .. they provide entertainment and an outlet for creativity C. discussion and debate .. young adults and even teens continue to join the political conversation Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. A