as in epithets
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
his wavy hair earned him the nickname "Curly" early in life
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Recent Examples of nicknames
James Peckham, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
And though some nicknames can wear out their welcome with age, McCollough does not feel that way about his.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
That is, of course, until recent reports about William and Harry’s nicknames for her resurfaced.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
The Big Yeti and the Showtime get their names from the tight end and quarterback’s nicknames, respectively, while the Queen B and the Alchemy honor Brittany and Swift.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
The boys have jokes and nicknames for each other.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The suffix -y here is the same as in words like doggy or smarty, used to form nicknames or informal descriptors.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Newsom's press office's X account has been regularly posting memes, snarky all-caps messages and using catchy nicknames for his opponents.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Colleagues described a popular chaplain with nicknames for the tiny patients and soothing words for their bleary-eyed parents.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
That information from customers was leaked in a full database, including customer’s names, mobile numbers, email addresses, license plate numbers, vehicle nicknames, and more.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
And though some nicknames can wear out their welcome with age, McCollough does not feel that way about his.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
That is, of course, until recent reports about William and Harry’s nicknames for her resurfaced.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
The Big Yeti and the Showtime get their names from the tight end and quarterback’s nicknames, respectively, while the Queen B and the Alchemy honor Brittany and Swift.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
The boys have jokes and nicknames for each other.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The suffix -y here is the same as in words like doggy or smarty, used to form nicknames or informal descriptors.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Newsom's press office's X account has been regularly posting memes, snarky all-caps messages and using catchy nicknames for his opponents.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Colleagues described a popular chaplain with nicknames for the tiny patients and soothing words for their bleary-eyed parents.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nicknames
Noun
-
Use chapter titles or epithets to set up what’s coming.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
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He is seen as a younger, more moderate voice – having vowed to clean up politics, initiate discussions on constitutional reform and allow married couples to use separate surnames, something currently banned under law.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Many descendants of the original settlers — with surnames like Crockett, Parks and Thomas — have remained to this day.—
Julie Depenbrock,
NPR,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are now wrestling under different monikers as part of their new masked gimmick.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Which of the following monikers did Benjamin Franklin NOT employ?—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The platform’s private servers let activists organize out of the public eye, often under pseudonyms, and use text and calling features.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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This stands in contrast to many of the investment claims on social media, where people regularly post fake or falsified information under pseudonyms.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nicknames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nicknames. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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