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

Sophocles conceived his play as part of a trilogy with a larger metaphysical design.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 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

Taylor will forever be defined by her trilogy wins against Amanda Serrano and leaves with a staggering list of accolades, but her true impact cannot be measured in statistics alone.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Small wonder Tom Stoppard plumbed Herzen’s writing for his theatrical trilogy, “Coast of Utopia.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Later, Nathan awoke and stayed in his room reading the third book in the trilogy.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

"It sits absolutely between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, and books in fact," he explains handily, as it can be difficult to keep up with the ever-expanding Tolkienverse.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

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

"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

The other tragedians do not seem to have written in trilogies, and Euripides at any rate moved gradually away from satyr-plays.

From Euripedes and His Age by Gilbert Murray

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Related Words

• threesome
• triad
• troika

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