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
Risqué language and colorful ethnics epithets flowed as liberally as the liquor, drawing the ire of a nearby diner who, while not nearly as famous, was at least as wealthy and possibly more influential.
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Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024
The organization abandoned its name of over eight decades, the Red Skins, which many Native Americans viewed as a racist epithet.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024
If the flipping of this script began with Walz’s epithet, the convention is completing the turnover.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2024
Each side tended to call the other side a bevy of ugly epithets.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for epithet 
Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024
The organization abandoned its name of over eight decades, the Red Skins, which many Native Americans viewed as a racist epithet.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024
If the flipping of this script began with Walz’s epithet, the convention is completing the turnover.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2024
Each side tended to call the other side a bevy of ugly epithets.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for epithet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epithet
Noun
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The lawsuit said leaked information included license plate numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle nicknames and, in a small number of cases, mailing addresses.Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
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Glas said another man named Mike, but without the nickname, was also ruled out as a suspect.Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The rapid-fire dialogue between Phil and Connie (played perfectly by McCarthy) is the main draw here, as their exchanges are laced with great insults and hilarious banter.Travis Bean, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
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High-profile individuals across different industries are generally more known and more easily recognizable through the internet and social media, and in turn bear the brunt of insults, attacks and sometimes threats.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday, Dec. 2, the actor, 55, corrected the host Colbert, 60, on the right way to say his surname after several years of him mispronouncing it on the show.Escher Walcott, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024
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During his sixth visit to The Late Show on Monday, the James Bond alum took a moment to educate host Stephen Colbert on how to properly pronounce his surname.EW.com, EW.com, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Starting in 1984, Chris and Rich played with a revolving cast of band members under the band’s new moniker, Mr. Crowe’s Garden, named after the children’s book, Johnny Crow’s Garden.Charles Moss, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
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Frampton released his most recent album, Ugly, under his Slowthai moniker in 2023.Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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And there’s Teeny doing a mocking sarcasm clap, which is my second favorite type of clap, after an inspirational movie slow clap that starts as a solitary person in a crowd and then spreads like wildfire into a full assault of applause by a large grip of onlookers.Dalton Ross, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
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The President didn’t take their concerns seriously, often dismissing them with mockery and sarcasm.Luke Voyles / Made by History, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Epithet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epithet. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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