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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
Sanda Ojiambo,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
By far the most common reason for trips is bilateral or multilateral meetings.
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Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
16 June 2026
These agreements are multilateral in nature, a clear distinction from the unilateral Section 301 tariffs.
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Paxton Honerkamp,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
Pension funds belong to a diverse mix of $4 trillion in reserve funds that African governments could unlock to finance the continent’s infrastructure needs, according to the Africa Finance Corporation, a multilateral lender.
—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Multilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multilateral. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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multilateral
adjective
