The term 'Anthropocene' was coined in recognition that human activities have ended the relatively stable environment of the Holocene epoch. However, its widespread adoption across the humanities, arts and sciences has led to diverse and sometimes incompatible definitions. In this Perspective, we argue for a stabilized definition of the Anthropocene epoch to help address contemporary environmental challenges, and explore various applications of the Anthropocene across disciplines. The Anthropocene epoch, with a proposed start point in 1952, underscores that human-driven global-scale environmental disruption differs from earlier human impacts of the Holocene, which did not cause such profound destabilization. This clear distinction enables quantitative and qualitative comparisons between the Holocene and Anthropocene epochs, as already utilized, for instance, within the planetary boundaries framework. As the Anthropocene Earth system transformation is systemic, political responses also need be systemic, rather than ad hoc. A unified Anthropocene epoch would help facilitate systematic, actionable climate and environmental policies. By contrast, alternative, extended interpretations of the Anthropocene are used to reflect accumulated human environmental impacts over many millennia. These broader interpretations portray the totality of anthropogenic change but obscure the quantitatively established departure from Holocene conditions. Applying a consistent Anthropocene epoch definition will improve its utility to science, scholarship and policy. The Anthropocene is a term applied across geological, environmental and social sciences, and the humanities and arts. This Perspective explores various applications of the term and discusses how a consistent definition could support transdisciplinary efforts to address modern environmental challenges.