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Pseudonym, has its origins in the Greek word pseudōnymos, which means "bearing a false name." Greek speakers formed their word by combining pseud-, meaning "false," and onyma, meaning "name." French speakers adopted the Greek word as pseudonyme, and English speakers later modified the French word into pseudonym. Many celebrated authors have used pseudonyms. Samuel Clemens wrote under the pseudonym "Mark Twain," Charles Lutwidge Dodgson assumed the pseudonym "Lewis Carroll," and Mary Ann Evans used "George Eliot" as her pseudonym.
Examples of pseudonym in a Sentence
Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
The Cincinnati legend had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years.
Wood, also known by his pseudonym Michael Xanadu, founded WEBN-FM with his father, Frank Wood Sr. in 1967.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, The Enquirer, 3 Aug. 2025
Titi, who asked to be identified only by a pseudonym out of fear of being targeted by immigration authorities, came to the United States with her younger sister in 2024 after fleeing widespread gang violence in Haiti that made even routine activities, such as walking to a supermarket, dangerous.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 28 July 2025
The group is named after a forensic photographer, known by the pseudonym Caesar, who smuggled out more than 55,000 photos documenting torture and death before fleeing to the U.S. in 2013.
—Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 21 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pseudonym.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pseudonym. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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