anthology

noun

an·​thol·​o·​gy an-ˈthä-lə-jē 

plural anthologies

1

: a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music

an anthology of American poetry

2

: assortment

… an anthology of threadbare clichés of … bistro cuisine …

—Jay Jacobs

anthological

ˌan(t)-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

Synonyms of anthology

• compilation

Examples of anthology in a Sentence

an anthology of American poetry

The band will be releasing an anthology of their earlier albums.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the series — which marks the third installment of Ryan Murphy's anthology series — Hunnam stars as Gein, whose crimes are believed to have inspired several horror films, such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs. —Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026

Winning countless Emmys and two Golden Globes for Best Miniseries or Television Film in 2017 and 2019, FX's anthology series American Crime Story dives into infamous historical transgressions ingrained in the American psyche. —James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026

Now officially an anthology series, the new season of Beef will introduce a whole new set of characters in turmoil. —Lucy Ford, Time, 27 Dec. 2025

If not, there is also an Argentinian satire anthology and more. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & New Latin; French anthologie, going back to Middle French, borrowed from New Latin anthologia, borrowed from Greek anthología "gathering of flowers," from anthológos "flower-gathering" (from antho- antho- + -logos, nominal ablaut derivative of légein "to gather, collect") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at legend

Note: The sense "collection of extracts" is found earlier in the parallel formation anthológion, attested in Byzantine Greek.

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for anthology

• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology
• ethnology

Kids Definition

anthology

noun

an·​thol·​o·​gy an-ˈthäl-ə-jē 

plural anthologies

: a collection of literary pieces

anthologist

-jəst

noun