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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Kern drew backlash for changing his surname from Hidalgo to Kern ahead of a 1998 congressional run, which opponents called a ploy to appeal to White voters.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
26 Mar. 2026
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The race saw on-again off-again challenger Juan Beto Ruiz ultimately removed from the ballot due to a missing maternal surname on his nomination petitions.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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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
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 29 Mar. 2026.
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