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

And Simon Kinberg, who wrote many of the X-Men movies, has signed on to do a trilogy for the franchise. —Eliana Dockterman, Time, 22 Apr. 2025

The trilogy fight between the two saw Shevchenko walk away from UFC 306 with the title back in her hands. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

The game comes after a trilogy of games that many fans call the ancient trilogy (Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla—with Mirage tightly connected), which was pretty divisive. —ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025

Little is known about the story at this point, though recurring rumors are pointing to Jedi (or at least Force-sensitive characters) being a big part of the plot, even if the movie isn't a direct follow-up to the sequel trilogy. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 18 Apr. 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