anthology

American  

[an-thol-uh-jee] / ænˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

anthologies plural

1. a book or other collection of selected writings by various authors, usually in the same literary form, of the same period, or on the same subject.

   an anthology of Elizabethan drama; an anthology of modern philosophy.

2. a collection of selected writings by one author.

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anthology British  

/ ˌænθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ænˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a collection of literary passages or works, esp poems, by various authors

2. any printed collection of literary pieces, songs, works of art, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anthologist
  noun
• anthological
  adjective
• anthologically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anthologies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anthology

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin anthologia, from Greek: “collection of poems,” literally, “gathering of flowers,” from anthológ(os) “flower-gathering” ( antho- antho- + -logos, adjective derivative of légein “to gather, recount, say, speak”) + -ia -ia

Explanation

A collection of writings is an anthology. The heavy textbooks that span the literature of an entire culture and that school children transport in over-sized backpacks with wheels? Those are anthologies. An anthology used to be just a collection of poetry, and the word came from the 17th-century Greek word anthologia for "flower gathering" or "collecting." A contemporary anthology can include anything from classic literature to rap music lyrics. Often an anthology focuses on one type, or genre, of writing, as in an anthology of horse riding haikus, or even an anthology of writings on writing. However, sometimes textbook-style anthologies — like Global Literature — will ambitiously try to include works from writers throughout the ages and from throughout the world.

Example Sentences

"Beef," a Netflix anthology, stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in its second iteration, which focuses on the explosive dynamic between two couples.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

The second go-round of this anthology features an all-star cast, including Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, and tackles wealth inequity through wildly escalating antics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

That leaves “Beef,” Lee Sung Jin’s anthology series about enmity, envy and the multiple ways that blood orange juice can be made, as the presumptive front-runner.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

Hence, this gem of an anthology series, wherein real-life residents recount the stories that made them regionally famous or nationally infamous, while familiar actors and comedians recreate their stories.

From Salon • Jul. 1, 2026

I thought of the Bible, but in the end decided poetry might be more soothing, so I brought an anthology from my room and read Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien