Definition of pen name
: an author's pseudonym
Examples of pen name in a Sentence
Samuel L. Clemens is better known by his pen name “Mark Twain.”
Recent Examples on the Web
But after more than 10 years, multiple drafts and two publishers, Williams’ novel — a lesbian romance written under her pen name, Zoe Amos — is being released by Sapphire Books on March 1.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: San Diego author’s lesbian romance novel celebrates midlife love," 27 Feb. 2021
The nearly 500-page manifesto, written under the pen name Spartacus Falanghina, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the difficulties of selling booze in a state heavily influenced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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The Salt Lake Tribune, "This wine warrior wants Utah’s next ballot initiative to be liquor privatization," 25 Feb. 2021
Florence becomes obsessed with her employer (real name, Helen Wilcox), but when the two travel to Morocco on a research trip, Helen vanishes — leaving her entire life, including her highly valuable pen name, up for grabs.
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Mary Sollosi, EW.com, "The insights and inspirations behind Alexandra Andrews’ thrilling debut Who Is Maud Dixon?," 19 Feb. 2021
Monika Michelle Arceneaux practiced as a lawyer after graduating from Xavier University of Louisiana and the Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law, but turned to writing in 2018, using the pen name of Monika Michelle.
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Staff Report, NOLA.com, "Three churches collaborate to present evening of one-act plays," 23 Dec. 2020
And Stacey Abrams, under the pen name Selena Montgomery, has published romance novels.
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Jenny Singer, Glamour, "Stacey Abrams Is the Author of Eight Unapologetically Hot Romance Novels," 3 Dec. 2020
As reported by the New York Times, people had just believed that Ajar was a pen name for Pavlowitch, until Pavlowitch revealed Gary was the real Ajar.
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Lia Beck, refinery29.com, "There’s A Stranger-Than-Fiction Story Behind The Life Ahead," 14 Nov. 2020
An even closer relationship between Lincoln and popular culture was to the humorist David Ross Locke, who wrote under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby, a vicious lout who lampooned Northern Democrats for their support of the Confederacy.
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Washington Post, "The 19th-century culture that shaped Abraham Lincoln," 13 Nov. 2020
Hank Early is the pen name of author John Mantooth, listed above.
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Kelly Kazek | Kkazek@al.com, al, "Books by Alabama authors any horror fan would love," 5 Oct. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pen name.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
4 Mar 2021
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“Pen name.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pen%20name. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
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The first known use of pen name was circa 1864
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