eponymous

/ɪˈpɒnɪməs/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈpɑːnɪməs/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈpä-nə-məs e-/ (ame, mw)

eponymous — adjective

  • eponymouspositive
  • more eponymouscomparative
  • most eponymoussuperlative

1. Used to describe a fictional character whose name is also the title of the novel

1.形容詞C1
釋義

Used to describe a fictional character whose name is also the title of the novel, movie, stage piece, or TV series they appear in.

例句

Christopher plays the eponymous detective in the new BBC adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.

eponymous + role noun (detective/hero/character)

Hoa quickly grew tired of the eponymous heroine of Jane Eyre and put the book down.

eponymous heroine — common collocation for novels with female title characters

同義詞
  • title

    much more common in everyday speech ('the title character'); 'eponymous' is bookish

  • self-titled

    used mainly of albums and bands sharing a name, not characters in stories

文法句型

eponymous + noun (character/hero/heroine/role)

用法筆記

Almost always attributive (placed directly before a noun like character, hero, heroine, role, lead). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes the person/character bearing the title name, while sense 2 describes a word or thing named after a person.

常見錯誤

❌The hero of the novel is eponymous.
✅The novel has an eponymous hero.
💡'eponymous' rarely sits after 'be'; it goes directly before the noun it modifies.
❌The eponymous title of the film is Rocky.
✅The film's eponymous hero is Rocky.
💡'eponymous' describes the character who shares the title, not the title itself.

2. Used to describe a thing — such as a law, disease, award, or invention — whose n

2.形容詞C1
釋義

Used to describe a thing — such as a law, disease, award, or invention — whose name comes from the person who discovered, created, or is otherwise linked to it.

例句

Doctors first identified the eponymous Crohn's disease in patients during the 1930s.

eponymous + disease/syndrome — very common in medical writing

Ramón opened his eponymous bakery on the corner of Cedar Street last spring.

eponymous + business (bakery/restaurant/firm) named after the owner

同義詞
  • namesake

    noun, not adjective; refers to the thing or person sharing a name ('the bakery, his namesake')

  • self-named

    less formal; commonly used of companies and brands

文法句型

eponymous + noun (law/disease/award/dish)

用法筆記

Almost always attributive. Subject is usually a discovery, invention, business, product, or place. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about a fictional character sharing a work's title; sense 2 is about real-world things named after their originator.

常見錯誤

❌The disease is eponymous to Dr. Crohn.
✅The eponymous Crohn's disease was named after Dr. Crohn.
💡'eponymous' modifies the named thing directly; it does not take 'to' for the person.