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

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 Miguel Moreira stars as the eponymous hero of Joao Miller Guerra and Filipa Reis' fiction-feature debut, world premiering in competition at the Netherlands event. — Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Djon Africa': Film Review | Rotterdam 2018," 7 Feb. 2018 From there, the designer went on to expand his eponymous label to a full women's ready-to-wear collection by 1969 that would re-define American fashion. — Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ewan McGregor is Set to Play Halston in New TV Series," 3 Jan. 2019 Aggretsuko follows its eponymous heroine through the pains of modern life, including bad bosses, flaky friends, and general existential angst. — Megan Farokhmanesh, The Verge, "Aggretsuko’s holiday special nails the ups and downs of the perfect Instagram photo," 24 Dec. 2018 The term originated with an eponymous novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer , The Ugly American, published in 1958 and depicting the failures of the United States diplomatic corps in the fictitious Southeast Asian country of Surkhana. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "Ryan Lochte is the Ultimate Ugly American," 22 Aug. 2016 The Martian is based on Andy Weir’s eponymous sci-fi novel, a Cast Away–like survival story set on the Red Planet. — Gogo Lidz, Newsweek, "Matt Damon Spills About 'The Martian'," 18 June 2015 Fans have begun commenting on the Calvin Klein account, the account for Simons’s eponymous brand, and the accounts of his coworkers with broken and black hearts. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Raf Simons Departs Calvin Klein," 22 Dec. 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.