trilateral
/ˌtraɪˈlætərəl/ (bre, ipa) · [traɪlˈætɚəl] /ˌtraɪˈlætərəl/ (ame, ipa) · [traɪlˈætɚəl] /(ˌ)trī-ˈla-tə-rəl How to pronounce trilateral (audio) -ˈla-trəl/ (ame, mw)
trilateral — adjective
- trilateralpositive
- more trilateralcomparative
- most trilateralsuperlative
1. describing talks, agreements, or other arrangements that include three countries
describing talks, agreements, or other arrangements that include three countries, groups, or organizations.
Japan, Korea, and Canada held trilateral talks about sharing river water.
collocation: trilateral talks
The city began a trilateral project with two nearby farming towns.
Our lab signed a trilateral agreement with teams in Delhi and Seoul.
The border problem became trilateral after Nepal joined the meetings.
Noor explained the trilateral plan linking parents, teachers, and students.
- tripartite
more formal and often used in legal or institutional writing
- three-way
less formal and more common in everyday speech
- bilateral
involving two parties rather than three
- unilateral
done by one side only
文法句型
trilateral + noun
be + trilateral
用法筆記
Most often used before nouns such as talks, agreement, meeting, or plan. It can appear after a verb, but predicative use is less common than the noun-modifying pattern.
常見錯誤
2. formed like a triangle, with three sides or surfaces in its shape or structure.
formed like a triangle, with three sides or surfaces in its shape or structure.
The architect chose a trilateral skylight for the narrow stairwell.
attributive use: trilateral + noun
A trilateral metal plate protected the corner of the wooden box.
The kite had a trilateral design, with one point facing down.
Jisoo traced a trilateral figure on the whiteboard with chalk.
The engineer tested a trilateral support frame under the bridge model.
- triangular
the usual everyday word for something with a triangle-like shape
- three-sided
more transparent and common in plain descriptions
- round
having a curved outline rather than three sides
- four-sided
having four sides instead of three
文法句型
trilateral + noun
be + trilateral
用法筆記
This sense is technical and much less common than sense 1. Writers often choose triangular instead in general English, while trilateral appears more in precise or formal descriptions.