trilogy

noun

tril·​o·​gy ˈtri-lə-jē 

plural trilogies

: a series of three dramas or literary works or sometimes three musical compositions that are closely related and develop a single theme

Did you know?

Dozens of tragic trilogies were written for the Greek stage, though only one, Aeschylus's great Oresteia (consisting of Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, *and *The Eumenides), has survived complete. Authors in later years have occasionally chosen to create trilogies to allow themselves to develop a highly complex story or cover a long span of time. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings wasn't actually intended as a trilogy, but since it was published in three volumes it's usually called one. George Lucas's three original Star Wars movies are an example of a film trilogy (which he followed many years later by another).

Examples of trilogy in a Sentence

the last book in the trilogy

Recent Examples on the Web

But while speaking with Matthew McConaughey at Variety and CNN’s town hall event at the University of Texas at Austin, Chalamet revealed some new details that have inspired his portrayal of Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026

Eighty years later, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy (1992–96) chronicled the settlement and terraforming of the fourth planet from the Sun by space colonists — the fictional events of which begin this year. —Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026

This trilogy pulls you into a nostalgic Holmes and Watson relationship between the main characters. —Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026

Williams is back again, with the third part of his gothic trilogy (in between was The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which did not transfer from Sydney). —Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Greek trilogia, from tri- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

circa 1661, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

trilogy

noun

tril·​o·​gy ˈtril-ə-jē 

plural trilogies

: a series of three literary, dramatic, or musical works that are closely related and develop a single theme