epithet

[ep-uh-thet]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR epithet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality: “Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I.

a characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as “man's best friend” for “dog.”

a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of epithet

1570–80; < Latin epitheton epithet, adjective < Greek epítheton epithet, something added, equivalent to epi- epi- + the- (variant stem of tithénai to put) + -ton neuter verbid suffix

SYNONYMS FOR epithet

1, 2. nickname, sobriquet, designation, appellation. 3. curse, insult, abuse, expletive, obscenity.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR epithet ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsep·i·thet·ic, ep·i·thet·i·cal, adjective

Can be confusedepigram epigraph epitaph epithet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epithet

When they get on the road, they find their place of birth is now an epithet.
Latinos Encounter a New ‘Grapes of Wrath’ Situation in California|Nicolaus Mills|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is very common for conservatives to use “latte-sipping” as an epithet.
The Starbucks Shutdown Petition Is Baloney|Daniel Gross|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Finally the epithet of "deathless" gets some explanation, stemming from Golovan's fearless ministrations during a plague.
The Forgotten Russian: The Genius of Nikolai Leskov|Benjamin Lytal|April 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Michael Clarke Duncan did not like the epithet “gentle giant.”
‘Bones’ Creator Hart Hanson on Working with Michael Clarke Duncan|Hart Hanson|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Who knows, because he waves away the entire discussion with the epithet “grotesque.”
A Response to Jonathan Rosen|Peter Beinart|April 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How often are they branded with this epithet of madness and folly?
The Anatomy of Melancholy|Democritus Junior
Attractive, rather than handsome, was the epithet best suited to describe Adeline Mowbray.
Adeline Mowbray|Amelia Alderson Opie
This epithet was commonly used to denote the strongest and liveliest interest in any thing or person, for or against.
Hamlet|William Shakespeare
Had poor Schubart always been in such hands, the epithet 'poor' could never have belonged to him.
The Life of Friedrich Schiller|Thomas Carlyle
Nor is there anything now to be gathered from the traditions at Vienna which justifies the epithet.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer

British Dictionary definitions for epithet

epithet

noun

a descriptive word or phrase added to or substituted for a person's name"Lackland" is an epithet for King John

Derived Formsepithetic or epithetical, adjective

Word Origin for epithet

C16: from Latin epitheton, from Greek, from epitithenai to add, from tithenai to put

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for epithet

epithet

1570s, "descriptive name for a person or thing," from Middle French épithète or directly from Latin epitheton, from Greek epitheton "something added," adjective often used as noun, from neuter of epithetos "attributed, added," from epitithenai "to add on," from epi "in addition" (see epi-) + tithenai "to put" (see factitious).