multilateral

1 of 2

adjective

mul·​ti·​lat·​er·​al ˌməl-tē-ˈla-t(ə-)rəl 

-ˌtī-

1

: having many sides

2

: involving or participated in by more than two nations or parties

multilateral agreements

multilateralism

ˌməl-tē-ˈla-t(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm 

-ˌtī-

noun

multilateralist

ˌməl-tē-ˈla-t(ə-)rə-list 

-ˌtī-

noun

multilaterally adverb

multilateralism

2 of 2

noun

mul·​ti·​lat·​er·​al·​ism ˌməltə̇ˈlatərəˌlizəm 

plural -s

: freedom of international trade and currency transfers so as to achieve for each country a trading balance with the total trading area but not necessarily with any one particular country

—contrasted with bilateralism

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The agreement does not abrogate or replace any bilateral or multilateral agreements between these states or with other states and organizations, the official added. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

The agreement was not directed against any specific actor, was open ​to ⁠other regional countries, and did not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements, the official added. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026

Investment slows, development financing becomes more fragmented, transaction costs increase and multilateral initiatives require greater coordination. — Ekramy El Zaghat, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

What happened at Lanternfish 2026 Lanternfish is a multilateral naval exercise focussesing on critical undersea infrastructure protection and emerging autonomous vehicle threats. — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for multilateral

• basolateral
• contralateral
• dorsolateral
• equilateral
• ipsilateral
• quadrilateral
• unilateral
• ventrolateral
• anterolateral
• posterolateral
• bilateral
• collateral

Kids Definition

multilateral

adjective

mul·​ti·​lat·​er·​al ˌməl-ti-ˈlat-ə-rəl 

-ˌtī-, 

-ˈla-trəl

1

: having many sides

2

: involving or taken part in by more than two nations or groups

a multilateral treaty

multilaterally

-ē

adverb