as in pseudonym
formal
a name used by a writer instead of the writer's real name
He wrote under a nom de plume.
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Recent Examples of nom de plume
Charlie Peacock’s stage name sounds like it was designed to be the nom de plume for a pop superstar, not someone who would become more renowned for his behind-the-scenes work as a producer, songwriter and label owner.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
The premise was a fiction—the column wasn’t written by the editor but by the novelist Donald G. Mitchell, who wrote mostly under the nom de plume Ik Marvel.
—Christopher Carroll, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
In this sparkling novel, Cate Kay is just that: the nom de plume of a bestselling author who doesn't really exist, after a tragedy in her youth sent her on the run under a succession of different identities.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Cindy Lee is the nom de plume of the musician and drag artist Patrick Flegel, who, back in the late two-thousands and early twenty-tens, fronted the Canadian post-punk band Women.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nom de plume
Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
The premise was a fiction—the column wasn’t written by the editor but by the novelist Donald G. Mitchell, who wrote mostly under the nom de plume Ik Marvel.
—Christopher Carroll, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
In this sparkling novel, Cate Kay is just that: the nom de plume of a bestselling author who doesn't really exist, after a tragedy in her youth sent her on the run under a succession of different identities.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Cindy Lee is the nom de plume of the musician and drag artist Patrick Flegel, who, back in the late two-thousands and early twenty-tens, fronted the Canadian post-punk band Women.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nom de plume
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nom de plume
Noun
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Before the end of the decade, Duckworth was also publishing Penelope Fitzgerald, Caroline Blackwood, and Anna Haycraft herself, who wrote under the pseudonym Alice Thomas Ellis.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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One of Hardy's victims, who went only by the pseudonym Melanie, told The Guardian that in school, Hardy was a target for bullies and seemed lonely.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Christie later wrote a semi-autobiographical novel called Unfinished Portrait under her pen name, Mary Westmacott.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
18 Jan. 2026
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Before her death earlier this month, Madeleine Sophie Wickham, known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, was known for creating stories full of wit, warmth, and bright, charming chaos.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nom de plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nom%20de%20plume. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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