1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
richly deserved the cognomen of "Butterfingers"
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2
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"Christopher Columbus" is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
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Recent Examples of cognomen
Part of the Tuscia — cognomen of lush forested Viterbo, crossed by the ancient Roman Francigena road and land of the Etruscans before that — Gradoli is also volcanic.
—
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomen
Noun
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Others go by the nickname Chris, including actors Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, and Chris Evans, as well as comedian Chris Rock.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
29 Oct. 2025
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When Jack kidnaps him in Christmas Town and takes him to Halloween Town, he is given a nickname that doesn't fit his true nature.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The protagonist tacks between monikers, dissatisfied by what each represents.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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Celine’s signature gold metal triomphe motif was festooned on the ankle strap, while the bottom of the sole was engraved with the luxury label’s moniker in gold letters.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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On his next broadcast, Maher convened guests like Ice Cube and Michael Eric Dyson to call him to task for using the epithet and to explore the issues about its us.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Their name has not yet been released by officials.—
Amy McCarthy,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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The star, whose birth name was Windham Rotunda, was himself a third-generation wrestler, as the son of Mike and the grandson of Blackjack Mulligan.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Beatrice and Eugenie's children do not have royal titles and use their fathers' surnames, reflecting their parents' wishes to raise them largely outside formal royal life.—
Ashley Hume , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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James competed on American Idol season 18 in 2020, originally under the name Sophia Wackerman before changing her surname at the prompting of the judges.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Dodgers are looking to become baseball's first back-to-back champions in a quarter-century, as the Blue Jays hope to win their first World Series title since 1993.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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After his 21 goals had helped steer John Mousinho’s side to the League One title the previous season, Bishop reported for pre-season in high spirits and in peak physical shape ahead of his first campaign in the Championship.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Loomis categorized the different types of brain waves into what became known as sleep states, and created a nomenclature to describe the phases of unconsciousness.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
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No last-minute deal being reached, the spending law funding the U.S. government lapsed at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1 and the federal government, in the common nomenclature, is shutting down.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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