multilateral

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

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

Most governments agreed to deal with them through a patchwork of treaties and multilateral bodies that sought to guarantee freedom of navigation in international waters and assign coastal seabeds to adjacent littoral states. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Post-communist economies received $165 billion in multilateral support between 1990-95. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

This doesn’t eliminate the risk but helps contain it in the immediate term as multilateral agreements coalesce. — Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Officials said the restrictions were necessary to ensure the smooth running of the major multilateral gathering. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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