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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Chicago might have too many nicknames.—
Gia Biagi,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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The program has earned the reputation as dawgs, with the Huskies nickname befitting.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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From there, Harris took on his adoptive parents’ surname.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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According to a Wall Street Journal report, the surname of a survivor was left unredacted, enabling news outlets to identify her.—
Danielle Powell Cobb,
Vanity Fair,
30 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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The importance of selling is yet to cut through the perception of Newcastle having the richest owners in the world, a moniker which is largely meaningless.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Duke and fellow Apollo 16 astronaut John Young landed on the moon in 1972 in a lunar module called Orion – the same moniker used for the Artemis II spacecraft.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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