eponymous

adjective

epon·​y·​mous i-ˈpä-nə-məs How to pronounce eponymous (audio)
e-
: of, relating to, or being the person or thing for whom or which something is named : of, relating to, or being an eponym

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What’s in a name? If the name is eponymous, a name is in the name: an eponymous brand, café, river, or ice cream is named for someone or something. And because English is beastly sometimes, the one lending the name to the brand, café, river, or ice cream can also be described as eponymous. This means that if Noah Webster owns a bookstore called “Webster’s Books,” it’s an eponymous bookstore, and Noah himself is the bookstore’s eponymous owner. Most of the time, though, we see eponymous describing a thing named for a person—for example, an eponymous brand named for a designer, or a band’s eponymous album titled only with the band’s name. The related word eponym is less ambiguous: it refers to the one for whom someone or something is named. At our hypothetical “Webster’s Books,” Noah Webster is the bookstore’s eponym. Appropriately enough, the Greek root of both words is onyma, meaning “name.”

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 Although The Lone Bellow’s eponymous debut album came out in 2013 and the group was formed in 2010, its current national concert trek is being billed as group’s 10th anniversary tour. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 Brochu plays the eponymous French girl with an appealing, authentic intelligence that would seem to belie the film’s moniker. Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 The eponymous Moana is hand-picked — or wave-picked — by the ocean to sail out and save the people of Motunui by restoring the heart of Te Fiti, which causes a ripple of non-stop action and 100 minutes of fun. Ew Staff, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Last year’s Met Gala was, of course, devoted to the German designer, who helmed Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous brand, and a big-screen adaptation of his life is on its way, too, with Jared Leto in the lead. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 The newcomer is the second vessel over 78 feet that the family-run yard has designed with Cor D. Rover’s eponymous firm. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 His original eponymous spot, Gaggan, was named the best restaurant in Asia for four consecutive years. Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The movie also features a scene in which two members of Chief’s posse rob a bank while disguised as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the real-life renegades immortalized by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, respectively, in the eponymous 1969 classic. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 At the same time, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Gila River Indian Community, which has relied on its eponymous river for farming for millennia, was thrust into crisis and famine when the river was dammed upstream. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eponymous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see eponym

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eponymous was in 1846

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Dictionary Entries Near eponymous

Cite this Entry

“Eponymous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eponymous. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

eponymous

adjective
epon·​y·​mous i-ˈpän-ə-məs, e- How to pronounce eponymous (audio)
: of, relating to, or named after an eponym
those eponymous genetic conditions … such as … Friedreich's ataxiaR. O. Brady

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