as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
Thomas Edward Lawrence is better known to most people by his byname, Lawrence of Arabia
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of byname
Robert the Wise was a good teacher — and, as his byname suggests, a good role model.
—
Anne Thériault, Longreads, 3 July 2018
Anne Thériault, Longreads, 3 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byname
Noun
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Multiple people have told The Athletic: The number of people detained for sending critical tweets about Al-Sheikh led to one area of a Riyadh jail becoming known by prisoners as the ‘Tutu Wing’, referring to his nickname.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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After all, a nickname like ‘The Big Dreidel,’ is pretty niche.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The new pope’s name, as well as his baptismal names, will be translated into Latin in the announcement but his former surname will remain in his native language.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
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And then there’s Brian Steel, whose sole flashy trait is his surname.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This species has no fragrance; its lavender appellation simply acknowledges its flower color while its rosemary epithet indicates its seacoast habitat.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
22 Mar. 2025
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More than a decade after Breaking Bad ended, Aaron Paul still can’t escape his character’s signature epithet.—
John Russell,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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