1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
richly deserved the cognomen of "Butterfingers"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"Christopher Columbus" is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
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
-
The beloved cookbook author, who goes by the cheeky nickname @grossypelosi, has brought every bit of that high-spirited vibe to his new cookbook, Let's Party.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Bubble snails have a transparent shell, but the species also earns its nickname from its eggs, experts said.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The latest entry in the sci-fi franchise comes with a soundtrack helmed by Nine Inch Nails, with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross lending their names to the project under the band’s moniker for the first time.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
With the third record, Cain's story ends, and Anhedönia soon plans to retire the moniker.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.—
Larry David,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Terrell represented a Black teenager who’d been expelled from a Los Angeles high school for punching a white referee during a football game after the referee allegedly had directed racial epithets at him.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
While searching for Tyga's Instagram page, Drake said his app's explore page was flooded by content of the two-time WWE world champion, whose real name is Demi Bennett.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Most, if not all, Democrats are expected to sign on to his Epstein files petition, meaning only six Republicans would need to cross party lines to add their names.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Before that, Prince William and Prince Harry did the same, taking on their father’s former title of Wales as their surname in school.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The surname on the back of his jersey — one fans can now buy thanks to NIL — carries the weight of massive expectations.—
Shane Shoemaker,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Observer writers predict Carolina Panthers season opener Fowler and Zietlow split last year’s predictor title, which was pretty incredible considering how topsy-turvy last year was and how differently their predictions went week to week.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
-
If the current crop of blockbusters and indie gems isn't quite hitting the mark for you, there's a solid chance one of Netflix's homegrown titles will.—
Jacqueline Weiss,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Some nomenclature gets a little more flowery.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Let’s aim to stick with the straightforward nomenclature of AI psychosis as the proper phrasing and not meander into a plethora of troublesome variations.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share