multilateral
adjective
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Since lateral means "side", multilateral means basically "many-sided". The philosophy of multilateralism claims that the best solutions generally result when as many of the world's nations as possible are involved in discussions, and multilateralists often favor strengthening the United Nations. Today multilateralism can be seen at work in, for example, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the International Criminal Court. But the U.S. doesn't always join the major multilateral organizations, instead often behaving as if a unilateral approach—that is, going it alone—was best for the interests of a powerful nation.
Examples of multilateral in a Sentence
Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Coalitions of the willing—composed of states, multilateral institutions, the private sector and civil society—should be a powerful antidote to the forces of instability.
—David Miliband, Time, 16 Dec. 2025
After his decades working for multilateral organizations—the World Bank, the ADB, and now the AIIB—Jin remains a fan of multilateralism and is bullish on the prospects for global governance.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Human and workers’ rights, environmental protections, child labor laws, and community standards are general impediments to the profit motives inherent in multilateral free trade agreements.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Multilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multilateral. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.
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multilateral
adjective
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