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
Relevance
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
Anne Thériault, Longreads, 3 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byname
Noun
-
His catchy nickname — Control-Alt-Delete — earns style points.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Like the scrappy bird in their nickname, the tenacious Toronto Blue Jays have clawed their way to 45 come-from-behind victories – most in the major leagues – and 87 overall, tops in the American League with under two weeks left in the 2025 campaign.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The emergence of al-Sheikh, who also uses the surname Alalshikh, as the dominant figure in the sport has been a catalyst for many of these changes.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Yuliia Kaveshnikova/Getty Images The new husband's last name is the same as u//Specken_zee_Doitch's first name, and because the couple have hyphenated each other's surnames, their last names are the same as u//Specken_zee_Doitch's full name.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On his next broadcast, Maher convened guests like Ice Cube and Michael Eric Dyson to call him to task for using the epithet and to explore the issues about its us.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share