screen name

or screenname

noun

, Digital Technology.

1. a unique sequence of characters that a person chooses to use for identification purposes when interacting with others online, as in computer games, instant messaging, or forums.

Word History and Origins

Origin of screen name¹

First recorded in 1920–25, for an earlier sense

Example Sentences

The tipster provided the screen name of one person who was encouraging others to violence.

From Washington Post

Every one of your Super Followers will have a purple badge next to their screen name, so you can easily show your patrons a bit of extra love.

From Popular-Science

The bump was also dramatic for a Switzerland-based video maker and train operator who asked to be identified only by his screen name, Lorirocks777, to protect his privacy and because he does not want to be contacted on social media.

From Washington Post

That America Online made the screen name personal, which in turn made it particularly difficult to shed.

From The Daily Beast

But because they wanted something friendlier, they came up with the nomenclature of ‘screen name.’

From The Daily Beast

My login is my junior-high AOL screen name, which I always told people came from a nickname on the basketball team.

From The Daily Beast

My screen name includes the word “kitty,” but I can't let it go!

From The Daily Beast

Firstname7lastname (7 was my high-school soccer number) continues to be my screen name … as a grown-ass professional woman.

From The Daily Beast

To save herself, she could not think of Kedzie's screen name.

From Project Gutenberg