Standard Lemma guide

bilateral

adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /baɪˈlætəɹəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ætəɹəl
  • CMU ARPABET: B AY0 L AE1 T ER0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having two sides.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Involving both sides equally.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Binding on both of the two parties involved.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Having bilateral symmetry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Involving descent or ascent regardless of sex and side of the family (bilateral linearity).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anthropology, human-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A meeting between two people or groups.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

having two sides or parts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: two-sided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

affecting or undertaken by two parties

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bilateral agreement between the United States and Japan

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

having identical parts on each side of an axis

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: isobilateral, bilaterally symmetrical, bilaterally symmetric

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From bi- + lateral.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ثُنَائِيّ (ṯunāʔiyy) — having two sides
  • Armenian: երկկողմ (erkkoġm) — having two sides
  • Bulgarian: двустранен (dvustranen) — having two sides
  • Catalan: bilateral — having two sides
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雙邊 /双边 (shuāngbiān) — having two sides
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雙方 /双方 (shuāngfāng) — having two sides
  • Dutch: tweezijdig — having two sides
  • Finnish: kaksipuolinen — having two sides
  • French: bilatéral — having two sides
  • Galician: bilateral — having two sides
  • Georgian: ორმხრივი (ormxrivi) — having two sides
  • German: zweiseitig — having two sides
  • Hungarian: kétoldalú — having two sides
  • Icelandic: tvíhliða — having two sides
  • Irish: déshleasach — having two sides
  • Irish: déthaobhach — having two sides
  • Italian: bilaterale — having two sides
  • Japanese: 双方 (sōhō) — having two sides
  • Kazakh: екіжақты (ekıjaqty) — having two sides
  • Luxembourgish: bilateral — having two sides
  • Macedonian: двостран (dvostran) — having two sides
  • Polish: dwustronny — having two sides
  • Portuguese: bilateral — having two sides
  • Romanian: bilateral — having two sides
  • Russian: двусторо́нний (dvustorónnij) — having two sides
  • Scottish Gaelic: dà-thaobhach — having two sides
  • Spanish: bilateral — having two sides
  • Ukrainian: двосторо́нній (dvostorónnij) — having two sides
  • Armenian: երկկողմ (erkkoġm) — involving both sides equally
  • Bulgarian: двустранен (dvustranen) — involving both sides equally
  • Dutch: bilateraal — involving both sides equally
  • Finnish: bilateraalinen — involving both sides equally
  • German: bilateral — involving both sides equally
  • Irish: déthaobhach — involving both sides equally
  • Japanese: 二国間 (nikokukan) — involving both sides equally
  • Japanese: 相互的な (sōgoteki-na) — involving both sides equally
  • Macedonian: двостран (dvostran) — involving both sides equally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bilateral — involving both sides equally
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bilateral — involving both sides equally
  • Polish: bilateralny — involving both sides equally
  • Polish: dwustronny — involving both sides equally
  • Portuguese: bilateral — involving both sides equally
  • Romanian: bilateral — involving both sides equally
  • Russian: двусторо́нний (dvustorónnij) — involving both sides equally
  • Scottish Gaelic: dà-thaobhach — involving both sides equally
  • Ukrainian: двосторо́нній (dvostorónnij) — involving both sides equally
  • Catalan: bilateral — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Dutch: bilateraal — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Finnish: kahdenvälinen — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Finnish: bilateraalinen — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Georgian: ორმხრივი (ormxrivi) — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Icelandic: tvíhliða — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Welsh: dwyochrog — binding on both parties to an agreement
  • Catalan: bilateral — having bilateral symmetry
  • Finnish: bilateraalinen — having bilateral symmetry
  • Macedonian: двостран (dvostran) — having bilateral symmetry
  • Catalan: bilateral — involving descent or ascent regardless of sex and side of the family
Real reading context

bilateral in complete knowledge articles