one-sided

adjective

one-sid·​ed ˈwən-ˈsī-dəd 

1

a(1)

: having one side prominent : lopsided

(2)

: having or occurring on one side only

b

: limited to one side : partial

a one-sided interpretation

2

: unilateral

a one-sided decision

one-sidedly adverb

one-sidedness noun

Synonyms

• biased
• parti pris
• partial
• partisan
• prejudiced

Examples of one-sided in a Sentence

my neighbor's account of how the feud got started was somewhat one-sided

Recent Examples on the Web

Even as sloppy or one-sided as Dawn’s subplots could be, Trachtenberg always transcended the material through her innate chemistry with Gellar. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025

Thursday night, a tie game after the first period turned one-sided in a hurry, as the Seattle Kraken scored four goals in less than six minutes and cruised to a 6-2 win at Climate Pledge Arena. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025

But the relationship is less one-sided in the movie. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

That streak is now all but certain to reach seven consecutive wins after a four-touchdown game in primetime that was so one-sided the Bills pulled Allen to avoid risking injury with Buffalo leading 35-10 early in the fourth quarter. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2024

Their matchup was too one-sided at times in camp with Sweat seemingly dominating for days. —Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024

But these ties are often mistaken for friendships by Westerners, and frequently turn one-sided in favor of the CCP—absent sufficient leverage. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024

The only disparity that was more one-sided was the $22.7 million GOP advantage in Pennsylvania’s Senate race. —Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 1 Oct. 2024

Baltimore 21, Buffalo 3 Andrew Greif Here’s one indication of how one-sided this game has been at the half: The Bills have accounted for 90 yards of offense on 29 plays. —NBC News, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Rhymes for one-sided

• coincided
• subdivided
• undecided
• undivided
• unprovided
• abided
• collided
• confided
• decided
• derided
• divided
• elided

Kids Definition

one-sided

adjective

one-sid·​ed

ˈwən-ˈsīd-əd

1

a

: having one side more developed

b

: having or happening on one side only

2

: favoring one side : partial

a one-sided view of the case

one-sidedly adverb

one-sidedness noun