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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The Hoosier Dome opened in 1984, mall culture grew as teens and shoppers flocked to Castleton Square and plans for Circle Centre got underway, all while Indy began to outgrow its 'Naptown' nickname.—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
8 Jan. 2026
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Simpson is a member of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Santa Monica Mountains Task Force trail crew, known often by their nickname, the Trailies.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Pedro had no surname; his nickname came from his days at the orphanage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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The pair would divorce in 1980, and Duncan, going under his father's original surname Jones, would later become a film director.—
Alex Heigl,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Just a few days earlier in California, a house that had been decorated with lights celebrating Chanukah was riddled with bullets, with the assailant having been heard to yell anti-Jewish epithets.—
Rabbi Steve Roth,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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The doc has also earned the ire of Chase’s former Community co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, who firmly distanced herself from it and all attempts to reinvestigate Chase’s firing from the show amid accusations of hurling racial epithets.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The spurious designation of Qassem Soleimani as a global terrorist, something long requested by Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for the expansion of the designation to other entities long held off from the moniker out of fear of its implications.—
Séamus Malekafzali,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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Can an equitable, sustainable and transparent system be established to facilitate athletes monetizing their intellectual property rights, or does the Wild West moniker remain true while boosters and private equity play an outsized role?—
Eddie Edwards Jr,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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