as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual Thomas Edward Lawrence is better known to most people by his byname, Lawrence of Arabia

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of byname Robert the Wise was a good teacher — and, as his byname suggests, a good role model. Anne Thériault, Longreads, 3 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byname
Noun
  • So Far The village oracle cursed Kratos by literally bonding the ashes of his deceased family to his body, earning him the Ghost of Sparta nickname for his ghostly white visage.
    Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Since then, the side known as Las Blancas — the feminine form of the men’s team’s Los Blancos nickname derived from their all-white kit — have been Champions League regulars but never challenged Barcelona’s domestic dominance.
    Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The restaurant’s name, Jaji, pays homage to Akbar’s lineage, drawing from both her grandfather’s surname and her Pashtun tribal roots.
    Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The centerpiece of the space is the National Monument to Freedom, a 155-foot-long, 43-foot-tall wall inscribed with 122,000 surnames of the 4.7 million formerly enslaved people recorded in the 1870 Census—the first census to list Black Americans entirely as free individuals.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Some took that remark as an innocent allusion to her job promoting fresh produce; others saw it as a pointed comment on a longtime epithet for gay men.
    Anita Gates, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The reply of my friend and hunting companion was one of those quaint, rasping epithets which only a cowman can manage when everything has gone wrong.
    Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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