as in pseudonym
formal
a name used by a writer instead of the writer's real name
He wrote under a nom de plume.
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 nom de plume
The premise was a fiction—the column wasn’t written by the editor but by the novelist Donald G. Mitchell, who wrote mostly under the nom de plume Ik Marvel.
—
Christopher Carroll, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
In this sparkling novel, Cate Kay is just that: the nom de plume of a bestselling author who doesn't really exist, after a tragedy in her youth sent her on the run under a succession of different identities.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Cindy Lee is the nom de plume of the musician and drag artist Patrick Flegel, who, back in the late two-thousands and early twenty-tens, fronted the Canadian post-punk band Women.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
Portraits, furniture, and jewelry from bygone days reveal much about this nom de plume, including her relationship with Frédéric Chopin.
—Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 29 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for nom de plume
Christopher Carroll, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
In this sparkling novel, Cate Kay is just that: the nom de plume of a bestselling author who doesn't really exist, after a tragedy in her youth sent her on the run under a succession of different identities.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Cindy Lee is the nom de plume of the musician and drag artist Patrick Flegel, who, back in the late two-thousands and early twenty-tens, fronted the Canadian post-punk band Women.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
Portraits, furniture, and jewelry from bygone days reveal much about this nom de plume, including her relationship with Frédéric Chopin.
—Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 29 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for nom de plume
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nom de plume
Noun
-
Meanwhile, haunting the fair was H.H. Holmes, the pseudonym taken by a person who was one of America’s first serial killers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Director Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the 1982 Stephen King novel (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) is a more stylish, grounded and even humorous take than the over-the-top 1987 movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the hero and Richard Dawson as a villainous TV show host.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively present the first trailer for the film about two sisters with a strong bond that is inspired by the novel of the same name by Janusz Korczak, also known under his pen name Henryk Goldszmit.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Raised in Villa Park, Calif., Smith chose to model her pen name after her two favorite fantasy writers, Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nom de plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nom%20de%20plume. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share