1
2
: having the same designation
3
: of, relating to, or being homonyms
homonymously adverb

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The "ambiguous" sense of homonymous refers mainly to words that have two or more meanings. Logicians and scientists who wanted to refer to (or complain about) such equivocal words chose a name for them based on Latin and Greek, from Greek hom- ("same") and onyma ("name"). In time, English speakers came up with another sense of homonymous referring to two things having the same name (Hawaii, the state, and Hawaii, the island, for example). Next came the use of homonymous to refer to homonyms, such as see and sea. There's also a zoological sense. Sheep and goats whose right horn spirals to the right and left horn spirals to the left are said to be homonymous.

Examples of homonymous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adapting the material from Winnie Holzman’s book and Schwartz’s songs for the musical, which in turn was based on Gregory Maguire’s homonymous novel, screenwriters Holzman and Dana Fox (Cruella) stick close to the show’s template while fleshing out the story and characters in rewarding ways. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024 The surprising appearance of the homonymous Dagestan component in India suggests a widespread presence of a common ancestry element. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2010

Word History

Etymology

Latin homonymus having the same name, from Greek homōnymos, from hom- + onyma, onoma name — more at name

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of homonymous was in 1621

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Cite this Entry

“Homonymous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homonymous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

homonymous

adjective
1
: affecting the same part of the visual field of each eye
right homonymous hemianopia
2
: relating to or being diplopia in which the image that is seen by the right eye is to the right of the image that is seen by the left eye
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