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 dinosaurs are back three years after the Jurassic World trilogy wrapped — and more than 30 years after director Steven Spielberg‘s first movie, Jurassic Park, stomped into theaters. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025

At the top of the card is the trilogy fight between two of the most respected and entertaining fighters in UFC history, Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

That being said, there’s no harm in watching the reboot trilogy first before moving on to the original series of films. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 30 June 2025

The original begat a sequel, which begat a trilogy, which begat a second trilogy that concluded with two Jurassic crews teaming up. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025

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