variants
or cognomina
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
Relevance
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
Noun
-
Herrington leads the recruiting, and encourages nicknames.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026 -
With his nightly mockery of the second-term leader, including a string of biting nicknames including Fiberace, Nostra-Dumbass, Count Flatula, and his most recent, Rant-a-Claus, the Jimmy Kimmel Live!—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
And there’s even 10 names after that that are in a sub bracket.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Webb has been one of the hottest young names in the business ever since the start of the 2025 season, and now will receive his first official audition with an AFC West rival.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That history includes the surnames Hazeltine, Wilcox, Turner, Norton, Woodall, Willis, Bowman, Warner, Greenlaw and many more.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Breakers, the new four-story, colonial-style, 425-guest-room hotel, reopened for the season the following year, and its guest register read like a roll call of the famous—and infamous—surnames of the Gilded Age.—
David Shaftel,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
While soulful names, grandma/grandpa ones, and monikers with many vowels or inspired by numbers also made the trending list, the biggest influence on baby names in 2026 is the media parents are consuming, says Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Kimchis 1 through 5 were monikers bestowed on them by US crew members in homage to the beloved Korean dish (and perhaps a reflection of a less culturally sensitive time).—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
25 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
The first two have won 25 national titles between them.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—who lost all of his royal titles and privileges in October in a groundbreaking decision by his older brother, King Charles—has been completely shut out of royal life.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The moratorium will halt the initial stages of free agency in which teams would seek to deliver qualifying offers and franchise tag designations to players.—
Doug Feinberg,
Twin Cities,
13 Jan. 2026
-
There hasn’t been a municipal court determination, no dangerous animal designations or violations, nor citations against her or Oakley, Skelton said.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Cognomens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomens. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
