unicameral

adjective

uni·cam·er·al

ˌyü-ni-ˈkam-rəl,

-ˈka-mə-

: having or consisting of a single legislative chamber

unicamerally adverb

Did you know?

Unicameral means "one-chambered", and the term almost always describes a governing body. Our federal legislature, like those of most democracies, is bicameral, with two legislative (lawmaking) bodies—the Senate and the House of Representatives. And except for Nebraska, all the state legislatures are also bicameral. So why did the nation decide on a bicameral system? Partly in order to keep some power out of the hands of ordinary voters, who the Founding Fathers didn't completely trust. For that reason, the original Constitution states that senators are to be elected by the state legislatures; not until 1914, after passage of a Constitutional amendment, did we first cast direct votes for our senators.

Examples of unicameral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The opposition bloc holds 192 seats, eight short of the two-thirds majority the bill needed to pass in the 300-member unicameral legislature. —

Stella Kim, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024 The big picture: The unicameral National Assembly, where the opposition Democratic Party has a majority, blocked the martial law order, which had suspended all political activity, according to multiple reports. —

Avery Lotz, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024 The 14th Supreme People's Assembly, the unicameral legislative body of the country, amended the national constitution last year to enshrine nuclear weaponization as a core principle. —

Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 28 Sep. 2024 Bacon is facing off in a rematch against Tony Vargas, a Democratic member of Nebraska's unicameral legislature. —

Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unicameral