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

Based on the DC Comics character, Lucifer stars Tom Ellis as the eponymous fallen angel, who abandons his throne in hell to work with the LAPD to take down criminals on Earth. — Lauren Huff, EW.com, "Lucifer scores fifth and final season at Netflix," 6 June 2019 But Jean isn’t a character so much as a cosmic ping-pong ball, which is an odd choice for any film’s eponymous character. — Keith Phipps, The Verge, "In Dark Phoenix, the X-Men franchise is still Marvel’s weird, mutant cinematic stepchild," 5 June 2019 A year later, Green Bank hosted a secret National Academy of Sciences meeting at which Drake presented the now-famous and now-eponymous Drake Equation. — Sarah Scoles, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Aliens," 5 June 2019 Situated in the historic eponymous town, the Roxbury Motel offers a kitschy twist on the Catskills experience with its lavishly decked out rooms that pay homage to some of film and TV’s most iconic characters. — Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, "7 Dreamy Memorial Day Getaway Hotels To Book Now," 13 May 2019 On Monday, the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its eponymous awards. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "This Is the Best Restaurant in America," 10 May 2019 Her eponymous line started in menswear, and soon expanded to womenswear. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Meet Grace Wales Bonner, the Boundary-Breaking Designer Behind Meghan Markle's White Dress," 8 May 2019 Clearly, all the moving around worked (by now, both men had their own eponymous design firms): After about a year of dating, the two got engaged in April, 2013, and celebrated with friends in Machu Picchu. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "A Brief Timeline of Nate Berkus & Jeremiah Brent's Relationship," 3 May 2019 Played by Jay Hernandez, the series' eponymous lead tackles a new career in private investigation, with the original version's signature red Ferrari making a contemporary comeback. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "A Crazy 'Hawaii Five-0,' 'Magnum, P.I.,' and 'MacGyver' Crossover Might Happen," 26 Apr. 2019

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.