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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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
-
There were other nicknames, too, some less flattering than others.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
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The Redskins moved forward as the Washington Football Team in 2020 because the hasty retreat from the original nickname didn't give the club time to come up with something new.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 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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His nanny was his fierce protector and insulated him from the depredations of Nazis and their enablers, baptizing him and teaching him to handily hurl anti-Jewish epithets to fit in.—
Ron Kampeas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
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The moral decay of Karensville might as well be Charlottesville and the epithet-spewing McLeoud behaves too much like myriad red-state lawmen for comfort.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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On their first album under the moniker, the two noisemakers from Animal Collective delight in this combination, foregrounding campfire acoustics while sinister drones lurk around the corner.—
Ethan Beck,
Pitchfork,
12 May 2026
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Fajitagate became the moniker for a drunken brawl involving three off-duty San Francisco police officers and two men over a bag of steak fajitas.—
Richard Halstead,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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