Ulysses

American  

[yoo-lis-eez] / juˈlɪs iz /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. Latin name for Odysseus.

2. (italics) a psychological novel (1922) by James Joyce.

3. a male given name.

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Ulysses British  

/ ˈjuːlɪˌsiːz, juːˈlɪsiːz /

noun

1. the Latin name of Odysseus

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Ulysses Cultural  

1. The Roman name of the Greek hero Odysseus.

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The Irish author James Joyce adopted the name for the title of his masterpiece of the early twentieth century, which is, in part, a retelling of the myth of Odysseus.

In the Aeneid of Virgil, which was written in Latin, Odysseus is called Ulysses.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ulysses

According to the show's curators, elements of Flaxman's sketches can be seen in Turner's painting called Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus – Homer's Odyssey, including outlines of horses in the sunset and the shadow of a cyclops.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The Command of the Army Act required presidential orders to flow through Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, whom Congress trusted, and it barred the president from removing Grant without the Senate’s approval.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

Ulysses S. Grant Jr., the son of the president who was the Union’s victorious commander, was a guest at Sandberg’s when he died there in his sleep in September 1929.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Alexander Pope’s early 18th-century translation of the story of Odysseus calls the hero Ulysses and favors Roman names for the immortals of Olympus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Two letters: F and L. That was Ulysses, she knew, trying to type her name one last time, trying to tell her that he loved her.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo