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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Her Lady Vengeance nickname is just something the media made up to fuel the story.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
1 Aug. 2025
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John was also known as John Luke, a nickname his older cousin gave him.—
Damenica Ellis,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
People didn’t necessarily identify themselves with a moniker or a label.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
28 July 2025
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Anticipation for new music from the now-duo was extremely high, as it had been announced some time ago that the group was going to release music for the film under that moniker.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Noun
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Tackett shouted racial epithets against Latinos at the driver before hurling a cup of hot coffee into their car, splashing the victim’s face, hands and the inside of his car, Oldoerp said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 July 2025
-
The two welders who had been spewing racist epithets at Pierre, the lawsuit said, began retaliating.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
First discovered: 7:27 p.m. July 27 Initial location: Shasta County, Calif. Fire type: Wildfire Fire name: 1-34 A new wildfire was reported today at 7:27 p.m. in Shasta County, California. 1-34 Fire has been burning on federal land managed by the United States Forest Service.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
28 July 2025
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The list includes names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Brady, who recently debuted a signature timepiece with Jacob & Co. priced at $650,000.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
They have been married since 1999, combining their previous surnames, True and Frost.—
Derek Lawrence,
EW.com,
29 July 2025
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The new film’s title references the surname of Stiller’s character, Greg Focker.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
Chicago Cubs The Cubs needed to be decisive to boost their chances at a division title over the Brewers.—
Tim Crowley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
-
At the same time, Stephen Royer, former president & partner, has moved to the title of chairman & partner.—
Sportico Staff,
Sportico.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Surgeons employ a precise classification and nomenclature system to characterize scoliosis, tailoring their approach based on the patient’s age, the type of scoliosis and the underlying cause driving its development.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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It’s thought that this nomenclature probably resulted from the fact that the vine looks quite unkempt when left untrained, yet other scholars believe that the wild side of the name comes from the wine’s characteristic aromas.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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