sobriquet

noun

so·​bri·​quet ˈsō-bri-ˌkā 

-ˌket;

ˌsō-bri-ˈkā,

-ˈket 

variants or less commonly soubriquet

ˈsō-bri-ˌkā 

-ˌket,

ˈsü-;

ˌsō-bri-ˈkā,

-ˈket 

ˌsü-

: a descriptive name or epithet : nickname

Did you know?

This synonym of nickname has the same meaning in modern French as it does in English. In Middle French, however, its earlier incarnation soubriquet referred to both a nickname and a tap under the chin. Centuries later, the connection between these two meanings isn't clear, but what is clear is that the "nickname" meaning of sobriquet was well established in French by the time English speakers borrowed the term in the 17th century—and was the only meaning that was adopted. In current English, the spelling sobriquet is most common, but soubriquet is also an accepted variant.

Synonyms

• alias
• byname
• cognomen
• epithet
• handle
• moniker
• monicker
• nickname
• surname

Examples of sobriquet in a Sentence

Baseball player Ty Cobb was also known by the sobriquet “The Georgia Peach.”

tagged her with the sobriquet “peanut” because of her diminutive size

Recent Examples on the Web

The family’s sing-songy pronunciation makes the sobriquet sound almost Italian to my ears, somewhere in the range of Papa-tierri, a mondegreen that elicits no shortage of laughter among celebrants. —Nico Lang, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2024

They weren’t referred to by this sobriquet in our family. —Sage Mehta, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

His outfit, coupled with his support for the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, earned him his spiritual sobriquet. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2024

The two shared a nickname for Satan: Old Slew Foot, a colonial-era sobriquet for the cloven-hoofed devil that spoke to the legendary tap and soft-shoe performer. —Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

sobriquet

noun

so·​bri·​quet

variants also soubriquet

ˈsō-bri-ˌkā,

-ˌket;

ˌsō-bri-ˈkā,

-ˈket

: a descriptive name or phrase : nickname