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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
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Hax chat: Husband says hyphenating baby’s last name is confusing
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Opinion|The world has changed, and Trump needs a mulligan
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The life of two Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck indefinitely in space
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Olympic Ceremonies on the Seine were a daring feat.
—Jerry Brewer, Washington Post, 27 July 2024
Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
Deadline for current voting members to apply for hyphenate voting status and for Associate members to apply to switch to Active voting membership.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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