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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of nicknames
Josh Meyer, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Jimmy Kimmel posted an infographic on Instagram containing dozens of scathing nicknames that protesters can call the president on their signs.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Her son Kovey James often goes by KJ, while her daughter Quincy already has a handful of playful nicknames, like Q, Quinn and Quince.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
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 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
Verb
Like other Mafia families, nicknames were commonly used to easily identify members, some with similar names given the family connections.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Jimmy Kimmel posted an infographic on Instagram containing dozens of scathing nicknames that protesters can call the president on their signs.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Her son Kovey James often goes by KJ, while her daughter Quincy already has a handful of playful nicknames, like Q, Quinn and Quince.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nicknames
Noun
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According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 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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Beatrice and Eugenie's children do not have royal titles and use their fathers' surnames, reflecting their parents' wishes to raise them largely outside formal royal life.—
Ashley Hume , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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Roughly 77% of all arrests by the first deputy the siblings saw at the gas station had Hispanic surnames, the judge found.—
Rafael Carranza,
ProPublica,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The common names of many of the poisonous Amanita mushrooms include foreboding monikers like death cap mushroom and destroying angel.—
Matt Kasson,
Popular Science,
15 Oct. 2025
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Winterstone has tattooed monikers on many celebs, including Teigen and Matt Damon, who has his wife's and daughters' first names on his right arm.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Although some characters in Red Alert have pseudonyms, both series end with images of the actors embracing their real-life counterparts.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Nicknames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nicknames. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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