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
Nana Ama Sarfo, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Trump prefers bilateral trade deals over the multilateral deals that past administrations pursued, like the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that would have included 12 Asia-Pacific countries.
—Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 7 July 2025
In addition to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, President Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs against major trade partners around the world, undermining other multilateral talks.
—Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025
After years of negotiations, Iran joined a multilateral agreement in 2015 designed to prevent it from securing nuclear weapons.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Multilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multilateral. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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multilateral
adjective
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