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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The 40-year-old May, whose nickname is Boom, was the head coach of the men's NCAA Division III team at Augsburg University for two seasons before joining Frost and the Gophers.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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Still, Avila, the college basketball cult sensation dubbed Cream Abdul-Jabbar (or Milk Chamberlain or SLU Alcindor, among many other nicknames), is likely to be the most important player on the floor.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The campaign between challenger Juan Beto Ruiz and incumbent Campos was one of the more unusual of the primaries in Lake County, with Ruiz ultimately removed from the ballot less than a day before the election over his missing maternal surname on nomination papers.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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This would mean that married women who have changed their surname would have to show citizenship documents that match their current legal name.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Mar. 2026
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The epithet could be heard when the BBC broadcast the ceremony about two hours after the live event.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Amid the fallout from the allegations, members of the public quickly called on officials to rename locations that carry his moniker.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
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But March Madness has earned that moniker for a reason, too.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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