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 Indian outpost of a U.S. studio major has developed two trilogies using Ved, details of which can’t be disclosed at the moment due to confidentiality agreements. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025

Do any of the other characters from the original trilogy make an appearance? —Ashley Wolfgang, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025

Who is in the cast of The Naked Gun? Neeson stars in The Naked Gun as Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen's character from the original trilogy. —Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025

The Naked Gun is a direct sequel to the original trilogy, with Neeson playing Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of Nielsen's character. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 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