trilogy

American  

[tril-uh-jee] / ˈtrɪl ə dʒi /

noun

• trilogies
  plural

1. a series or group of three plays, novels, operas, etc., that, although individually complete, are closely related in theme, sequence, or the like.

2. (in ancient Greek drama) a series of three complete and usually related tragedies performed at the festival of Dionysus and forming a tetralogy with the satyr play.

3. a group of three related things.

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trilogy British  

/ ˈtrɪlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a series of three related works, esp in literature, etc

2. (in ancient Greece) a series of three tragedies performed together at the Dionysian festivals

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trilogies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of trilogy

From the Greek word trilogía, dating back to 1655–65. See tri-, -logy

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Explanation

If you’ve just started a trilogy of books, you’ll be reading for a while. A trilogy is something that has three parts, so you'll have three books to read. You can see the tri-, meaning "three," in trilogy. The word originates from the Greek word trilogia, meaning "series of three related tragedies performed at Athens at the festival of Dionysus." Today, you can use trilogy to describe three of anything, such as a trilogy of movies that has the same characters, settings, and themes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trilogy trilogies

“VisionQuest” has been touted as the conclusion of the “WandaVision” trilogy, which also includes “Agatha All Along.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Can Denis Villeneuve’s third and final “Dune” movie, which hasn’t screened widely for press, take the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy path to a best picture victory?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

They get both in “Drawn Together,” based on a duology by the Argentina-born novelist Mercedes Ron, whose “Culpables” trilogy has become a hit franchise for Prime Video and a young-adult phenomenon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

It was restarted from scratch in 2013 with a new trilogy dubbed "Survivor", chronicling the adventures of a younger, less experienced Lara.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Parents of a friend in Farmer’s advanced elementary school class introduced P.J. to Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

He wrote more than two dozen books, including Cold War spy trilogies and World War II nonfiction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

Boyens, along with with Jackson and screenwriter Fran Walsh, oversaw the “LOTR” and The Hobbit” film trilogies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

As trilogies go, Friday's third instalment of the Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano rivalry at New York's Madison Square Garden doesn't add up, but still makes all the sense in the world.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025

"For all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film," Warner Bros.

From Reuters ● Feb. 24, 2023

He also edited Hesiod, the chief lyric, tragic and comic poets, arranged Plato’s dialogues in trilogies, and abridged Aristotle’s Nature of Animals.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 "Arculf" to "Armour, Philip" by Various

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Related Words

• threesome
• triad
• troika

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