1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
King Richard I of England was given the very laudatory epithet "the Lion-Hearted"
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2
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the school has a strict ban against the use of offensive epithets
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of epithet
Each side tended to call the other side a bevy of ugly epithets.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Neither of them soiled themselves on stage, neither of them said a racial epithet.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2024
In contrast, Trump appointee Amy Joan St. Eve, a white woman, dissented and downplayed the negative consequences of the racial epithets used against the couple.
—Paul M. Collins Jr., The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
An unidentified Gettysburg College student accused of carving a racial epithet on the chest of a teammate is no longer enrolled at the Pennsylvania liberal arts college, the school said over the weekend.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for epithet 
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Neither of them soiled themselves on stage, neither of them said a racial epithet.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2024
In contrast, Trump appointee Amy Joan St. Eve, a white woman, dissented and downplayed the negative consequences of the racial epithets used against the couple.
—Paul M. Collins Jr., The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
An unidentified Gettysburg College student accused of carving a racial epithet on the chest of a teammate is no longer enrolled at the Pennsylvania liberal arts college, the school said over the weekend.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for epithet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epithet
Noun
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His work garnered him a few nicknames, more followers and a nice pay bump.Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
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However, because its peculiar shape was reminiscent of a clothes iron, the Flatiron nickname quickly stuck.Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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There was also the larger error of anointing Harris without political competition — an insult to the democratic process that handed the nomination to a candidate who, as some of us warned at the time, was exceptionally weak.Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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But what garnered the most attention were a comedian’s insults of Puerto Rico, Trump’s violent rhetoric about a political opponent and a comment about women.Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The suspect, a 62-year-old man identified only by his surname, Fan, was said to be upset by the division of property after his divorce.Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
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His surname is derived from Ar-Ramtha, a city on the northern edge of Jordan which grew prosperous through the illicit transit of goods in and out of the country.Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Regrettably, the catchy moniker has slinked into our vocabulary, and we are seemingly stuck with it.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
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In fact, another beloved train also, confusingly, operates under the iconic moniker: the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express belongs to Belmond and travels occasionally through Italy.JD Shadel, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In the height of the singer-songwriter era, when earnest autobiographical confessions were prized as tokens of authenticity, Newman’s use of sarcasm and unlikable protagonists was an act of literary radicalism in pop music.David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
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Original cast member Chevy Chase first took the seat back in 1975, bringing his sarcasm and deadpan humor to the segment.Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Epithet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epithet. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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