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
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Example Sentences
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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
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Colleagues described a popular chaplain with nicknames for the tiny patients and soothing words for their bleary-eyed parents.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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The waterways that have earned the city the nickname Venice of America.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Before that, Prince William and Prince Harry did the same, taking on their father’s former title of Wales as their surname in school.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 Sep. 2025
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The surname on the back of his jersey — one fans can now buy thanks to NIL — carries the weight of massive expectations.—
Shane Shoemaker,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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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
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Terrell represented a Black teenager who’d been expelled from a Los Angeles high school for punching a white referee during a football game after the referee allegedly had directed racial epithets at him.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Byname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byname. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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