Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of cognomen Part of the Tuscia — cognomen of lush forested Viterbo, crossed by the ancient Roman Francigena road and land of the Etruscans before that — Gradoli is also volcanic. Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard. NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021 Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop. Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020 Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut. Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomen
Noun
  • Son of Spergy — the title is a nod to the nickname of Caesar’s father, gospel singer Norwill Simmonds — is the fourth album by the singer-songwriter.
    Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The 22-year-old Scarberry said the shop is named after the nickname her friends gave her.
    Jason Dill November 5, Miami Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • This fall, Zardoya stepped out on her own, releasing her solo debut album, Melt, under the moniker Not for Radio.
    Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The hunky leading man was happy to take on the moniker.
    Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, the term itself was an epithet throughout the founding era, a way to describe ignorant and easily deceived popular majorities, perpetually vulnerable to demagogues.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One of its earliest directors spent outrageous sums on art, believing the expenditures would help burnish the orphanage’s name and lure generous donors (who remained scarce).
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Speaking on The David Rubenstein Show with the private-equity billionaire of the same name, Carlyle co-founder David Rubenstein asked the investment bank chief about the current national debt level, which stands at a whopping $38 trillion.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Previously titled His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, Andrew will now be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, using the royal family's surname for direct descendants of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
    Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • On the left is the crest for Sophia’s mother’s surname, Fullerton.
    Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The defeat has all but ended TCU’s hopes of reaching the Big 12 title game.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Guardiola’s lads look back to their best in the early months of this season after the extended wobble in the previous one that wrecked their hopes of a fifth straight domestic title.
    Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Similar nomenclature slide may have brought us the yam name that way.
    Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Loomis categorized the different types of brain waves into what became known as sleep states, and created a nomenclature to describe the phases of unconsciousness.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

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