1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
richly deserved the cognomen of "Butterfingers"
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2
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"Christopher Columbus" is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
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Recent Examples of cognomen
Part of the Tuscia — cognomen of lush forested Viterbo, crossed by the ancient Roman Francigena road and land of the Etruscans before that — Gradoli is also volcanic.
—
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomen
Noun
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Opting for relationship terms (auntie) or unrelated nicknames (little cabbage) is the default.—
Shayla Love,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2025
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One nickname — Zombie tranq — reflects shambling from deep sedation.—
Pat Beall,
Orlando Sentinel,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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None of those players are American born, which, historically, is a prerequisite for the face of the league moniker.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2025
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During the pandemic, Parson, who goes by the moniker Fearless Jack Rabbit, channeled his passion for art into an unexpected form of connection.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The next day, one of his supporters called U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s chambers and called her a racial epithet.—
Josh Meyer,
USA TODAY,
14 Jan. 2025
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In Greek mythology, Chloe was an epithet of the goddess Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The National Public Data breach exposed nearly 3 billion records of consumers including names, email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses and Social Security numbers.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA TODAY,
29 Jan. 2025
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The names of the five Thai citizens to be freed have not been made public.—
Lauren Izso,
CNN,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex call their daughter by the nickname Lili, and PEOPLE understands that the couple has adopted their Sussex titles as their family surname.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
29 Jan. 2025
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In Oaklawn Cemetery, officials found some remains with enough genetic material to create DNA profiles, which were linked to surnames in multiple states.—
Joseph Rushmore,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Just days before his appearance, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title in a high-stakes ladder match against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Jannik Sinner of Italy return to defend their respective Women’s and Men’s Singles titles.—
Hannah Malach,
WWD,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The attack likely starts with either a phishing email link or attachment, although the researchers were unable to obtain the original email the nomenclature used in the filenames suggested income tax deduction and rebates as the bait.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
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Consider the teenager’s nomenclature for an erect pecker.—
Matthew J. C. Clark,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near cognomen
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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