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  

/ 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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

anthology anthologies

As they note in a preface to “20 Over 60,” the two of them had assumed when collaborating on their previous anthology that older age was “mostly about decline.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

An exquisite anthology of Cohn’s writing from his early days through the present, “Corner Boy” bristles with the electric, contrarian voice of a working cultural critic.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

Elsewhere, the second season of Netflix's Beef could be a strong contender in the limited or anthology series category, and win acting prizes for its stars Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Rosen said the show "really took people by surprise" and could break Netflix's three-year winning streak for best limited series, despite the strength of the streaming giant's second take of the anthology series "Beef."

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

There’s a cash prize, and the winning essay will be published in an anthology.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

He also has written reviews and essays for a variety of magazines, anthologies and online publications, most recently the "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" essay collections for Ghost Show Press.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

He wrote introductions and appreciations, edited anthologies and reissues, taught in writing programs, recommended candidates for artist residencies, advised the Guggenheim Foundation on fellowship recipients and informally brokered the advancement of innumerable authors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Woods is the editor of several anthologies and four novels in the “Charlotte Justice” mystery series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

He has also helped raise the profile of other poets: He has edited two poetry anthologies and, since 2020, has been the poetry editor of The Nation.

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024

The bookshelves, window sills, radiators, and all other flat surfaces are piled high with anthologies of plays, copies of scripts, and videotapes and sound tracks of Broadway productions.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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