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
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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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But few nicknames reach the height of the headless chicken monster.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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The rocky bluffs make the waters particularly treacherous, earning the tip of Door County a wild nickname: Death’s Door.—
Jacqueline Kehoe,
AFAR Media,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Out of the four couples living in London with the surname, Steggle believes only the playwright and his wife could have afforded to live in the relatively prosperous area.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2025
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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
Noun
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The men pulled Khan and his relatives from the truck and began beating them and shouting anti-Muslim epithets.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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