multilateral

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˌmʌltɪˈlætɜrəl/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Involving or participated in by three or more parties, especially nations or groups.; Having many sides.
  2. noun
    A multilateral agreement or arrangement.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more multilateral Superlative: most multilateral

Collocations

multilateral agreementmultilateral trademultilateral negotiationsmultilateral cooperationmultilateral institutionmultilateral framework

Derivatives

multilateralismmultilaterallymultilateralist

Synonyms

many-sidedcollectivejointcooperativemulti-party

Antonyms

unilateralbilateral

Commonly confused

bilateral
EN: 'Bilateral' involves exactly two parties, while 'multilateral' involves three or more parties.
unilateral
EN: 'Unilateral' involves only one party acting alone, while 'multilateral' involves multiple parties acting together.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the prefix is 'multi-' (not 'multi-lateral' with a hyphen in standard usage). The word is written as one unhyphenated word.

💬 Examples

  1. The countries signed a multilateral trade agreement to reduce tariffs.

  2. The problem requires a multilateral approach involving various stakeholders.

  3. The new multilateral replaced the outdated bilateral treaties.