multilateral
mul-tee-LAT-er-uhl
/ˌmʌltiˈlætərəl/
Agreed upon, participated in, or pursued by three or more parties, especially governments of different countries.
Involves three or more sovereign nations working together, contrasting with bilateral (two nations) or unilateral (one nation).
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'multus' (many) and 'latus' (side). It emerged in 19th-century diplomacy to describe treaties involving multiple sides or powers, beyond simple two-party alliances.
Word relationships
- international: International simply means across nations, whereas multilateral specifically denotes joint participation by three or more states.
- plurilateral: Plurilateral typically refers to agreements between a specific subset of nations, while multilateral spans open global participation.
- unilateral: Unilateral involves action taken by only one party or nation independently.
- bilateral: Bilateral involves exactly two parties or nations.
Commonly confused with
- bilateral: Bilateral concerns two parties, whereas multilateral concerns three or more parties.
Word family
- multilateralism (noun): The principle of participation by three or more parties in diplomatic relations.
- multilaterally (adverb): In a multilateral manner.
Collocations
- multilateral accord
- multilateral negotiations
- multilateral treaty
- multilateral institution
Idioms & expressions
- multilateral framework
Example sentences
- "Multilateral climate diplomacy remains essential because global warming respects no international borders." Treaty founding preamble
- "The multilateral negotiations required consensus among nearly two hundred distinct sovereign states." Summit report
Memory hook
MULTI (many) + LATERAL (sided) = Many-sided agreement. Many sides around the diplomatic table.
When not to use
Do not use when only two countries or two opposing sides are engaged in negotiations.
Fun facts
- The League of Nations was one of the earliest full-scale modern attempts at formal multilateral governance.
Related words
Explore more words
Agreement, interdependent, alliance, multifaceted, ecumenical
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