Heteronym Definition

hĕtər-ə-nĭm
noun
A word with the same spelling as another or others, but with different meaning and pronunciation (Ex.: tear, a drop of water from the eye, and tear, to rip)
Webster's New World

(literature) A fictitious character created by an author for the purpose of writing in a different style.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Heteronym

Noun

Singular:
heteronym
Plural:
heteronyms

Origin of Heteronym

  • Coined around 1900, either from hetero- (“different”) +‎ -onym (“name”) or from Ancient Greek ἑτερώνυμος (heterōnumos), or perhaps both.

    From Wiktionary

  • Back-formation from heteronymous

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to heteronym using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

heteronym