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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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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Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is a place with many nicknames.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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The players, who mostly went by unique nicknames, had to be over the age of 18, not currently playing in college and have played in fewer than 162 NBA games to be eligible to compete.—
Jason Beede,
Sun Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Noun
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This story has been corrected to show that the spelling of the secretary of state's surname in one reference should be Raffensperger, not Raffesperger.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Kristine and Matt, who don’t share their surname publicly, have been on YouTube since 2011, when Kristine uploaded a video of her twin toddler boys putting themselves to bed.—
Kristen Martin,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Tape recordings played during the case also showed Fuhrman had used a racial epithet despite his testimony claiming to never have done so.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
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The Chawla said multiple campaign road signs were vandalized with racial epithets in two separate incidents.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Noun
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With a moniker drawn from Greek mythology, the trio intends for Ariadne to be a revenue-sharing hub for creators to navigate IP, wellness tech, production, distribution and the digital economy pipeline.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
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Its current moniker pays homage to the longleaf pine tree, a foundational pillar of the Raleigh area’s historic timber and naval stores industries.—
Kristy Tolley,
Travel + Leisure,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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