Definition of EPONYMOUS

Did You Know?

It's no coincidence that "eponymous" has to do with naming - it comes to us from the Greek adjective epōnymos, which is itself from onyma, meaning "name." "Onyma" has lent its name to a number of English words, including "synonymous," "pseudonym," and "anonymous." Traditionally, an eponymous person or thing (i.e., an "eponym") might be a mythical ancestor or totem believed to be the source of a clan's name. Today, however, "eponymous" more typically refers to such individuals as the front man of "Theo's Trio" or the owner of "Sally's Restaurant" (Theo and Sally, respectively, of course). The things that are named for such name-providers are also "eponymous." For example, we can speak of "the eponymous 'Ed Sullivan Show'" as well as "the eponymous Ed Sullivan."

Examples of eponymous in a Sentence

… Ramayana, an Indian epic which chronicles, in sixty thousand verses, the adventures of its eponymous hero Rama … — Leila Hadley, Give Me the World, (1958) 1999 "Cool Britannia," which goes back to Ben and Jerry's eponymous ice cream in Spring 1996, met its sell-by-date within weeks … — Harold Perkin, Times Literary Supplement, 18 Dec. 1998 Karen Hubert Allison, the eponymous (if you count middle names) creator of Hubert's, didn't know she was making dining history … — Peter Kaminsky, New York Times Book Review, 11 May 1997

Recent Examples on the Web

Vivaldi’s latest iteration of its eponymous web browser has added even more drag-and-drop flexibility, allowing you to rearrange tabs and icons (mostly) to your heart’s content. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Vivaldi 2.4 enhances the browser's tab wizardry," 27 Mar. 2019 Since 2015, South African designer Thebe Magugu has been creating an eponymous brand that looks to novelty and culture to enhance the way that women dress. — Scarlett Newman, Teen Vogue, "This Year’s LVMH Prize Finalists Focus In On Sustainability In Fashion," 27 Mar. 2019 Helmstedt launched her eponymous brand in 2017 and has since expanded her collection to include furniture and home decor as well. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Emilie Helmstedt Is Writing Her Own Danish Fairy Tale With Whimsical Clothes," 22 Mar. 2019 It's been over three years since Kylie Jenner launched her eponymous makeup brand, Kylie Cosmetics, and during that time she's managed to collaborate with just about every family member, including momager Kris. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Kylie Jenner Hinted at a Kylie Cosmetics x Kendall Makeup Collab Is in the Works," 13 Mar. 2019 Her Twitter lapse lends strange support to the estimation of Jerry Seinfeld, known for an eponymous sitcom of his own, that her downward spiral was of her own making and needed no momentum from ABC's 's abrupt goodbye. — Isaac Stanley-becker, chicagotribune.com, "Jerry Seinfeld on Roseanne Barr: 'Why would you murder someone who's committing suicide?'," 27 June 2018 Her husband David currently has 30 perfumes and colognes under his eponymous fragrance label. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Victoria Beckham Is Launching Victoria Beckham Beauty This Fall," 13 Feb. 2019 The Resistance Show is my Jessica 6 show, a full survey of all the songs, and different collaborations [under my eponymous solo act] Nomi Ruiz. — Jasmin Hernandez, Harper's BAZAAR, "Nomi Ruiz on Making Art That Means Something," 17 Jan. 2019 Her eponymous handbag line has been worn on the red carpet by the likes of Helen Mirren, Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie, and the bags go for between $6,000 and $40,000. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "A Mar-a-Lago Member, Handbag Designer Lana Marks, Is Donald Trump's Pick for Ambassador to South Africa," 16 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eponymous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.