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Synonyms

pet name

American  

noun

  1. a name or a term of address used to express affection for a person, thing, etc.


Etymology

Origin of pet name

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Outside is a bench dedicated to "Jennie Wren" – the family's pet name for her daughter – where Ms Moore often sits to reflect and allow memories from happier times to return.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2024

Under her relentless barrage of attention — including the pet name that gives the series its title — his life spirals out of control, and past traumas are unearthed.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2024

He’ll botch a gig over his annoyance at not being allowed to call a stranger by a pet name she reserves for her closest friend.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2024

Roman knows who Mencken is, better than any of the Roys do; in Season 3, it was to him that Mencken expressed his openness to borrowing ideas from “H,” his pet name for Hitler.

From New York Times • May 15, 2023

At the top of sheets of scratchy pale yellow paper he writes out his pet name again and again, and the alphabet in capitals and lowercase.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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