nickname

American  

[nik-neym] / ˈnɪkˌneɪm /

noun

1. a name added to or substituted for the proper name of a person, place, etc., as in affection, ridicule, or familiarity.

   He has always loathed his nickname of “Whizzer.”

2. a familiar form of a proper name, as Jim for James and Peg for Margaret.

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verb (used with object)

nicknamed, nicknaming

1. to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.

2. Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.

nickname British  

/ ˈnɪkˌneɪm /

noun

1. a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place

   his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed

2. a shortened or familiar form of a person's name

   Joe is a nickname for Joseph

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verb

1. (tr) to call by a nickname; give a nickname to

Other Word Forms

• nicknamer noun
• unnicknamed adjective

Etymology

Origin of nickname

1400–50; late Middle English nekename, for ekename (the phrase an ekename being taken as a nekename ). See eke ², name; newt

Example Sentences

Researchers have given a newly identified Australian tree species an unusual nickname.

From Science Daily

Owen recalled the period when the player who picked up the nickname 'Wazza' emerged as a teenage England star at Euro 2004 - six years after Owen made a similar splash at the 1998 World Cup.

From BBC

The effort has earned her a following, a city council ally and a few nicknames: Trashley Madison.

From The Wall Street Journal

The domestic interest in the market earned it the nickname of the “Squid Game” market, teeing off the Netflix series of high-stakes risk taking.

From Barron's

The domestic interest in the market earned it the nickname of the “Squid Game” market, teeing off the Netflix series of high-stakes risk taking.

From Barron's

Related Words

• epithet
• moniker
• sobriquet
• style
• tag