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 Avatar trilogy, in which Saldaña has played the central Na'vi character Neytiri, of course accounts for a massive part of her cume — about $6 billion to be exact. —Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026

Three movies were made from the Stieg Larsson trilogy, finishing in 2018. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2026

The family had a collection of 3,000 VHS tapes, and David’s ideal day as a child was to watch the Star Wars trilogy or all the Rocky movies back-to-back. —Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026

Her 2018-2022 album trilogy ranks among the most fearless, smartest state-of-the-union statements recorded in any genre this century. —Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 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