1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
King Richard I of England was given the very laudatory epithet "the Lion-Hearted"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the school has a strict ban against the use of offensive epithets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of epithet
In the right-wing imagination, these women are acting like harpies — an epithet often seen online — when they’re supposed to be helpmeets.
—
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
While the epithet is sometimes attributed to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Ronda has maintained a romantic aura for centuries, drawing creatives like Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles to its mountaintop setting.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for epithet
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
While the epithet is sometimes attributed to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Ronda has maintained a romantic aura for centuries, drawing creatives like Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles to its mountaintop setting.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for epithet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epithet
Noun
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There’s a particular collection that has several nicknames, like the winter hexagon, winter circle, winter oval and more.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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According to Enquirer archives, it was opened in 1926 by Donald and Genevieve Karcher (Donald's nickname was Zip, according to Burke).—
Keith Pandolfi,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Several leaned out of their windows to shout insults or raise middle fingers.—
Jodi Bondi Norgaard,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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Left-wing social media users launched a volley of insults at 23-year-old Brooke Slusser in recent days.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Fans of the thunder-and-lighting combination — or the former Sonic and Knuckles moniker for Detroit Lions fans — will see the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Brown as a bolt out of the backfield who excels in catching the ball.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
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According to various online surveys, parents and grandparents often disagree over the perfect moniker for a new baby.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Harrison Ford was honored with the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, a prize presented with warm sarcasm by Woody Harrelson.—
Jake Coyle,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This would mean that married women who have changed their surname would have to show citizenship documents that match their current legal name.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
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Correction, March 6 The original version of this article misstated the president of the National Iranian American Council's surname.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Epithet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epithet. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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