as in family name
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Recent Examples of hypocorism
Someone named the fog Karl, but none of our other weather gets a hypocorism.
—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson, SFChronicle.com, 29 Sep. 2020
Kevin Fisher-Paulson, SFChronicle.com, 29 Sep. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypocorism
Noun
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The family name was Zhou (or Chou), which, in Chinese culture, comes first, as in the name of the late Premier Zhou Enlai.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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The family name, Vajra, is an ancient way of spelling the family’s surname, Vaira.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Mel’s last name, Brooks, is an adaptation of his mother’s maiden name, Brookman.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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In April 2022, one of Musk's twins petitioned the court to legally change her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson (the maiden name of her mother, Justine Wilson) and to recognize her gender as female.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Published under his pen name Richard Bachman, The Long Walk is described as a dystopian thriller centering on the contestants of a grueling and vicious annual walking contest that requires 100 boys to keep a certain pace without stopping.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
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If writing under a pen name is a form of deception, or akin to leading a double life, Cornwell was more suited to it than most writers.—
Kirsty McHugh,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Steel explained his client’s sobriquet to the jury, too.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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And all of that mimicked the gloriously madcap fox hunt, minus hounds and the fox and made the horse the focus — hence the sobriquet for the sport, National Hunt racing.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The couple were already parents to son Wilbur, 2, and chose a meaningful middle name for their baby girl.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
9 July 2025
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Nelson's middle name, Hugh, was a nod to Mildred's brother who had recently died.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Dickens had taken a nom de plume in the tradition of journalists and periodical writers, but there was no need to conceal his identity.—
Kirsty McHugh,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
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Ludwig is the nom de plume of John Taylor, played by David Mitchell.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The 18-year-old, who goes by the nickname Eliza rather than Elizabeth, opened up about the emotional tug of war between honoring her own identity and meeting her family’s expectations in a recent Reddit post.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
6 July 2025
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Having an alternative nickname adds a special flavor to the world-building, giving the film additional layers.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
3 July 2025
Noun
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For example, Katie is a diminutive of Katherine and Lisa is a diminutive of Elizabeth.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2025
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Residing on hillside slopes and gently rolling valleys surrounding the stately medieval village of Montalcino, vineyards in the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are home to a clone of Sangiovese known locally as Brunello, which is a diminutive of the Italian word for brown.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hypocorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypocorism. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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