cognomens

noun

variants or cognomina
plural of cognomen
1
as in nicknames
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

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2
as in names
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomens
  1. nicknames
  2. names
  3. surnames
  4. monikers
  5. epithets
  6. titles
  7. designations
Noun
  • The buck moon has other nicknames related to animals, plants and weather, including the feather moulting moon, salmon moon, raspberry moon and thunder moon.
    — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • One of the monarch’s nicknames for his wife is unexpected—and likely derived from his travels abroad.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 7 July 2026
Definition of nicknames
Noun
  • On one day in June, Katie Couric couldn't recall who was president or the names of some of her newer family members.
    — KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • When Tyler Tolbert legged out a dribbler on Tuesday night against the New York Mets for his major-league-record-tying 12th consecutive base hit, the names of the two current record-holders flashed across the TV screen.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
Definition of names
Noun
  • Many common surnames, such as Carpenter or Baker, originated from occupations passed down through generations, reflecting how closely people’s identities were tied to their work.
    — Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Decade after decade, Chicagoans with Italian surnames have hidden instead of objected.
    — Gary Grasso, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Definition of surnames
Noun
  • The Bachelor Nation star and his wife landed on the twins' first names after testing them out with River, who didn't hesitate to make the monikers part of her everyday vocabulary even before her little sisters were born.
    — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • The jokes and goofy monikers mattered.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Definition of monikers
Noun
  • Since construction at the Eagle Rock site — so nicknamed after a decrepit colonnade — first stalled in 2008, the only thing that accumulated faster than the garbage and graffiti were the epithets from outraged community members.
    — Ryan Steven Green, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • The Chawla said multiple campaign road signs were vandalized with racial epithets in two separate incidents.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Definition of epithets
Noun
  • Features saw a major uptick in production, logging a 52 percent year-over-year increase thanks, in part, to nearly a quarter of all filming in the category coming from titles receiving subsidies to shoot in the state.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026
  • Lionel Messi led Argentina on a late run of three unanswered goals against Egypt Tuesday, bringing the defending champions one step closer to winning back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles.
    — Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of titles
Noun
  • The singer has among the most extensive trademark portfolios in the entertainment industry, with more than 170 active or pending registrations spanning names, phrases and commercial designations.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026
  • Spousal death changes nearly every part of an employee's life at once, from household income and health coverage to life insurance and beneficiary designations.
    — Christine Michel Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of designations
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cognomen
cognomens
cognoscente
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Cite this Entry

“Cognomens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomens. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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