1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
richly deserved the cognomen of "Butterfingers"
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2
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"Christopher Columbus" is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of cognomen
Part of the Tuscia — cognomen of lush forested Viterbo, crossed by the ancient Roman Francigena road and land of the Etruscans before that — Gradoli is also volcanic.
—
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomen
Noun
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Yet his ruthlessness is appreciated by his team-mates, who have given him the nickname El Tiburon (‘The Shark’).—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 2025
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The countdown is on with Alex Ovechkin just 4 goals from overtaking Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's career goal leader – a mark that once seemed unsurmountable and earned Gretzky the nickname The Great One.—
Jim Sergent,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For practically her entire life, the mom of three has listed her favorite monikers, compiled them into lists and kept up with the latest baby naming trends.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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The list has been updated to include these characters and the action star’s latest unbelievable moniker in A Working Man.—
Rebecca Pahle,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The test question for which Taylor was placed on leave included a quote from the text which had a racial epithet.—
Campbell Roper,
Arkansas Online,
3 Apr. 2025
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Lincoln Heights resident Eric Ruffin said at Tuesday night's village meeting that one of the demonstrators called him a racial epithet.—
Antonia Hylton,
NBC News,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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However, nearly a full year after Sweeney and Powell joked about the drama on Saturday Night Live, their names are back-to-back in headlines once again.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
30 Mar. 2025
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The bees, as suggested by their name, also produce honey.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Matt Bomer spouse: In the March 29 Entertainment section, an article about actor Matt Bomer misspelled the surname of his husband, Simon Halls, as Hall.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2025
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Continuing with longstanding tradition within the British royal family, Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan are using Sussex as the surname for their children Prince Archie, 5 and Princess Lilibet, 3, as inspired by their Sussex titles.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That race clinched Schumacher the 2001 drivers’s championship and Ferrari the constructors’s championship, which was the first back-to-back title in the team’s history.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
3 Apr. 2025
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At the top of the rankings, Reacher repeated as the No. 1 overall title with 1.41 billion minutes of viewing as Prime Video released the fifth episode of season three.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Of all its rivals, Audi appears to have settled into a nomenclature for its vehicles that at least makes a little sense.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
19 Dec. 2024
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So far, six trucks have hit the streets with new nomenclature.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
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