Standard Lemma guide

multilateralism

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: M AH2 L T IH0 L AE1 T ER0 AH0 L IH2 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: M AH2 L T IH0 L AE1 T ER0 AH0 L IH0 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Unbiased trade between nations, in contrast to bilateralism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A system by which nations consult others in matters of foreign policy, by way of organisations such as the United Nations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English multilateral Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English multilateralism From multilateral + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: мультилатерализм (mulʹtilateralizm) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Chinese Cantonese: 多邊主義 /多边主义 (do1 bin1 zyu2 ji6) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Chinese Mandarin: 多邊主義 /多边主义 (duōbiānzhǔyì) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • French: multilatéralisme — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Georgian: მულტილატერალიზმი (mulṭilaṭeralizmi) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • German: Multilateralismus — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Greek: πολυμέρεια (polyméreia) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Indonesian: multilateralisme — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Italian: multilateralismo — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Japanese: 多国間主義 (takokukanshugi) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Kazakh: мультилатерализм (multilateralizm) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Kyrgyz: мультилатерализм (multilateralizm) — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Latin: multilateralismus — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Persian: چندجانبهگرایی — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Portuguese: multilateralismo — tendency of nations to act with others
  • Spanish: multilateralismo — tendency of nations to act with others