nickname

noun nick·name \ ˈnik-ˌnām \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

1 : a usually descriptive name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to a person, place, or thing

2 : a familiar form of a proper name (as of a person or a city)

See nickname defined for English-language learners

See nickname defined for kids

Examples of nickname in a Sentence

His mother gave him the nickname “Winky” when he was a baby.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson got his nickname from the way he handled a basketball.

Recent Examples of nickname from the Web

When Novogratz was twenty-five, he was set up on a blind date with Dora Cáceres, who goes by the nickname Sukey.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "A Sidelined Wall Street Legend Bets on Bitcoin," 10 Apr. 2018
This is a guy whose nickname is Threekola, after all.

— jeff duncan, NOLA.com, "New-look Nico Mirotic loses beard, finds shot, just in time for Pelicans," 5 Apr. 2018
And Tim Herbst, the former first selectman of Trumbull, promised to take a hard line on using state money for local bonding projects, joking that his nickname will be Dr. No.

— daniela altimari, courant.com, "Casinos, Taxes And The Death Penalty: GOP Candidates Spar At Wide-Ranging Forum," 5 Apr. 2018
Some of the newer creations include even more evocative nicknames: mint truffles, black diamond, Arctic ice, and flambeau.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "Why cactuses and succulents are the perfect plants for this cultural moment," 4 Apr. 2018
In homage to the original nickname bestowed by citizen scientists, MacDonald and her team have suggested a new scientific term for the phenomenon: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement (STEVE).

— katherine kornei, Science | AAAS, "There’s a new aurora in subpolar skies. Its name is Steve," 14 Mar. 2018
Drashaydrian Hunter, 26, is making quite the name for himself — because of his nickname.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Suspected carjacker going by ‘Stinky Butt’ is becoming a slippery suspect in East Texas | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 9 Mar. 2018
Borgström earned the nickname The Artist for his ability to stick-handle around and through a defense to score highlight-reel goals.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "As Henrik Borgström nears NHL debut, college coaches exult: 'I wish him all the best. I'm certainly glad he's gone'," 29 Mar. 2018
This is the opening of Gallery at Doveland Farms, which is just the nickname for my house.

— trevor fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Home art gallery a lot of labor of love," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nickname.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History of nickname

It might look like nickname is a compound noun formed by adding nick and name together, but the actual history of this word is a bit more complicated. It was formed by metanalysis, or the changing of the division of words based upon how they sound together. In this case, the Middle English word eke, meaning “also” or “in addition,” was joined with name to form ekename—literally, “also-name,” used for a secondary or unofficial name in the late Middle Ages. Over time, an ekename became a nickname presumably because eke had become less familiar as a word. Needless to say, nick in this case doesn’t mean “also” or anything else, it just represents a comfortable and familiar alternative to the word’s original spelling.

Origin and Etymology of nickname

Middle English nekename additional name, alteration (resulting from misdivision of an ekename) of ekename, from eke eke, also + name name

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

nickname Synonyms

Synonyms

alias, byname, cognomen, epithet, handle, moniker (also monicker), sobriquet (also soubriquet), surname;

anonym, nom de guerre, nom de plume, pen name, pseudonym;

nickname

verb

transitive verb

1 : misname, miscall

2 : to give a nickname to

—

nicknamer

noun

See nickname defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of nickname from the Web

But one of two Hall of Fame football players to attend Gonzaga is the former Packers great Tony Canadeo, who was nicknamed the Gray Ghost of Gonzaga during his time on the West Coast.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "68 Degrees of Separation: a Wisconsin connection to every team in the 2018 NCAA Tournament," 12 Mar. 2018
This is an important point for a player once nicknamed El Contusion.

— jeff mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "For Ginobili, being a 40-year NBA player beats the alternative," 29 Jan. 2018
The revelation suggests the group often nicknamed Fancy Bear, whose hacking campaign dogged the 2016 U.S. electoral contest, is still busy trying to infiltrate the email accounts of America's political elite.

— CBS News, "U.S. Senate targeted by Russian hackers, cybersecurity firm says," 12 Jan. 2018
On re-branding and investment issues, the cheekily nicknamed ‘MBS’ shows every sign of genuine commitment to overhauling core elements in Saudi society and its economy.

— jonathan spyer, The New Republic, "What a Crown Prince Wants," 20 Mar. 2018
In Thursday’s concert, Nézet-Séguin revisited the Rach 2nd, as it’s nicknamed, only three years after his last performance here, but the approach was considerably more evolved.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Philadelphia Orchestra back on the global recording scene with a lush 'Rach 2nd' live from Kimmel," 9 Mar. 2018
The classic British-style pub, nicknamed The Welly, is as beloved as the rest of the 35-year-old wine bar complex in the heart of Broad Ripple.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "Broad Ripple's Corner Wine Bar, The Wellington pub to close," 6 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, notorious Franco torturers like Antonio Gonzalez Pacheco, nicknamed Billy the Kid, still walk the streets of Madrid with impunity.

— stephen dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Silence of Others': Film Review | Berlin 2018," 21 Feb. 2018
But much of his art never made it to galleries, instead remaining in his renowned TriBeCa loft, nicknamed the Battle Station.

— andrew r. chow, New York Times, "A Rammellzee Exhibition Is Coming to New York," 20 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of nickname

1536

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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NICKNAME Defined for English Language Learners

nickname

noun

: a name (such as “Moose” or “Lady Bird”) that is different from your real name but is what your family, friends, etc., call you when they are talking to you or about you

nickname

verb

: to give (someone) a name that is not that person's real name : to give a nickname to (someone)

NICKNAME Defined for Kids

nickname

noun nick·name \ ˈnik-ˌnām \

1 : a usually descriptive name used in addition to a person's given name

My brother had the nickname “Nosy.”

2 : a familiar form of a proper name

“Bill” and “Willie” are nicknames for “William.”

History for nickname

In the Middle Ages there was an English word ekename that meant “an extra name.” It was made of a word eke that meant “extra part” added to the word name. It started with a vowel, so an was used with this word instead of a. When an ekename was said fast, it sounded a bit like a nekename. As a result, some people thought the word started with n and began to pronounce it nekename. They did not know they were taking n away from an, adding it to ekename, and so making a new word. From this new word came the word nickname that we use now.