multilateral
adjective
Did you know?
Since lateral means "side", multilateral means basically "many-sided". The philosophy of multilateralism claims that the best solutions generally result when as many of the world's nations as possible are involved in discussions, and multilateralists often favor strengthening the United Nations. Today multilateralism can be seen at work in, for example, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the International Criminal Court. But the U.S. doesn't always join the major multilateral organizations, instead often behaving as if a unilateral approach—that is, going it alone—was best for the interests of a powerful nation.
Examples of multilateral in a Sentence
Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
The assertion is misleading and is falsely framing the election as a geopolitical battle between the United States and China for control of the multilateral organization, Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s representative at the OAS, wrote in his latest column on Caribbean News Global.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
These goals — and the country's commitment to multilateral work on climate — aren't expected to change under the new government.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025
In 2010, the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria—the world’s largest multilateral donor to HIV programs—rapidly departed from Romania, with no plan put in place for the Romanian government to fund or take over HIV prevention services.
—Gavin Yamey, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for multilateral
Cite this Entry
“Multilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multilateral. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
multilateral
adjective
Share