1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
King Richard I of England was given the very laudatory epithet "the Lion-Hearted"
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2
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the school has a strict ban against the use of offensive epithets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of epithet
Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.
—
Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.
—G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
The epithet could be heard when the BBC broadcast the ceremony about two hours after the live event.
—Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
There is no stronger epithet in Albany than the charge of being weak.
—Paul Francis, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for epithet
Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.
—G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
The epithet could be heard when the BBC broadcast the ceremony about two hours after the live event.
—Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
There is no stronger epithet in Albany than the charge of being weak.
—Paul Francis, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for epithet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epithet
Noun
-
Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is a place with many nicknames.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
The players, who mostly went by unique nicknames, had to be over the age of 18, not currently playing in college and have played in fewer than 162 NBA games to be eligible to compete.—
Jason Beede,
Sun Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Noun
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The blowout loss would’ve been enough agony, but there were injuries to match the insult.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
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Adding insult to injury, Hasna accuses Meriem of using her body to get a cushier, better paying job as maid inside the boss’ luxurious home.—
Jay Weissberg,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Noun
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With a moniker drawn from Greek mythology, the trio intends for Ariadne to be a revenue-sharing hub for creators to navigate IP, wellness tech, production, distribution and the digital economy pipeline.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
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Its current moniker pays homage to the longleaf pine tree, a foundational pillar of the Raleigh area’s historic timber and naval stores industries.—
Kristy Tolley,
Travel + Leisure,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The brilliant dialogue—full of sarcasm, barbs, resentment, infuriation, competition but also underpinned by love—is so very perfectly sisterly!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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Between weird texts, awkward money conversations or a friend taking your sarcasm way too seriously, today could feel like one giant communication hiccup.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
This story has been corrected to show that the spelling of the secretary of state's surname in one reference should be Raffensperger, not Raffesperger.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Kristine and Matt, who don’t share their surname publicly, have been on YouTube since 2011, when Kristine uploaded a video of her twin toddler boys putting themselves to bed.—
Kristen Martin,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Epithet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epithet. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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