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In the early 20th century, the noun hyphenate referred to a resident or citizen of the U.S. whose recent foreign national origin caused others to question his or her patriotic loyalties - with or without there being just cause for that questioning. These hyphenates - the Irish-Americans, German-Americans, and others - were objects of suspicion. The hyphenates we're highlighting today are more often objects of admiration. Since around 1974, we've been referring to people with hyphens in their titles - producer-directors, for example, as hyphenates.
Examples of hyphenate in a Sentence
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Yuliia Kaveshnikova/Getty Images The new husband's last name is the same as u//Specken_zee_Doitch's first name, and because the couple have hyphenated each other's surnames, their last names are the same as u//Specken_zee_Doitch's full name.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Mae Martin multi-hyphenates bigly.
—Frank Digiacomo, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hyphenate
Cite this Entry
“Hyphenate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyphenate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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