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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trilogies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trilogy

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

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

After a long gap, the franchise returned with different actors for a modern trilogy of Jurassic World movies from 2015 onwards, but the original stars returned for one last hurrah in 2022's Jurassic World Dominion.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Particularly in his “Young England” trilogy of the 1840s, he emphasized the divide between rich and poor opened by urbanization and the Industrial Revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

At the Warner-owned New Line, Mr. Shaye would triumph commercially and critically with the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

The adaptation of the first installment of Adeyemi’s “Legacy of Orïsha” fantasy trilogy is slated to hit theaters in January 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Nali drove through Gallup to the main public library, where Nathan checked out a science-fiction trilogy about kids who were drafted by the government to fight an interstellar war against aliens.

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

“Andor” has always focused on the way the Empire functions at a granular level, while the “Star Wars” feature film trilogies are all about big-picture stuff.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 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

In each number of three notable trilogies which these gifted writers have contributed, there is an artistic treatment of three notable themes.

From Atlantic Narratives Modern Short Stories by Ashe, Elizabeth

Related Words

• threesome
• triad
• troika