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

Granted, none of the many action sequences match the scale of those in the 2015–19 Star Wars movie trilogy. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 25 May 2026

Drake made charts history as the rapper’s new album trilogy — Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour — scored the top three spots on the latest Billboard 200, becoming the first artist to occupy Numbers One, Two, and Three simultaneously. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026

Perhaps this isn’t new—Star Wars has been taking small moments from the original trilogy and padding them out for decades now—almost everything seen on screen in those first three films has been resurrected, fleshed out with backstories and unnecessary details. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

Rian Johnson was to do a new trilogy, and then Simon Kinberg got tapped for a three-part series. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 May 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