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
Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
Europe should lean into the region’s mix of bilateral and multilateral arrangements, including more robust collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on issues including cybersecurity, sustainable clean energy, and supply chain resilience.
—Mathieu Droin, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2024
Such efforts are exemplified by Palestinian journalists refusing to let stories of life under the bombs go untold, and by global solidarity initiatives at grassroots and multilateral levels.
—Graham Liddell, The Conversation, 6 May 2024
First, the number of both bilateral and multilateral trade agreements have skyrocketed.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for multilateral 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'multilateral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Multilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multilateral. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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multilateral
adjective
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