anthology

noun

an·​thol·​o·​gy an-ˈthä-lə-jē 

plural anthologies

1

: a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music

an anthology of American poetry

2

: assortment

… an anthology of threadbare clichés of … bistro cuisine …

—Jay Jacobs

anthological

ˌan(t)-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• album
• collectanea
• compendium
• compilation
• florilegium
• miscellany
• reader

Examples of anthology in a Sentence

an anthology of American poetry

The band will be releasing an anthology of their earlier albums.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tales of the Walking Dead Tales of the Walking Dead premiered on AMC in August 2022 as the third spinoff of the original show and an anthology series that highlights new and returning characters from the TWD franchise. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025

For his performance in the anthology series, Thornton earned an Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025

Plaza also made her own directorial debut as part of Baena’s 2021 anthology series Cinema Toast. —EW.com, 13 Jan. 2025

Probably with the same cast, rather than being an anthology. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & New Latin; French anthologie, going back to Middle French, borrowed from New Latin anthologia, borrowed from Greek anthología "gathering of flowers," from anthológos "flower-gathering" (from antho- antho- + -logos, nominal ablaut derivative of légein "to gather, collect") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at legend

Note: The sense "collection of extracts" is found earlier in the parallel formation anthológion, attested in Byzantine Greek.

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

anthology

noun

an·​thol·​o·​gy an-ˈthäl-ə-jē 

plural anthologies

: a collection of literary pieces

anthologist

-jəst

noun