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

The director went on to compare the early reaction to The Odyssey with his experience of the beloved Dark Knight trilogy. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 11 July 2026

Produced by original Evil Dead filmmakers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert and executive produced by the classic trilogy’s star, Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead Burn, per Variety, had a $20 million production budget before marketing costs. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Collins subsequently penned Sunrise on the Reaping, which still serves as a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, but takes place after Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

Following Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, which included The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1993), the franchise was rebooted with Fede Álvarez’s Evil Dead in 2013. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 July 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