pseudonym
Americannoun
-
pseudonyms
plural
noun
Usage
What is a pseudonym? A pseudonym is a false or fictitious name, especially one used by an author. When an author uses a pseudonym, it can also be called a pen name or a nom de plume. There are many reasons an author may choose to use a pseudonym instead of their own name, such as to avoid controversy or to create a persona. Many women authors throughout history have used a male or gender-neutral pseudonym to get their work published due to bias against women writers. A famous example is Mary Ann Evans, who used the pseudonym George Eliot. The word pseudonym can refer to a fake or false name used by anyone, not just writers. It’s typically used so a person can remain anonymous. In legal proceedings, the pseudonyms John Doe, Jane Doe, Richard Roe, and Jane Roe are used in when a person’s name is being kept anonymous. Such names can also be called anonyms. Example: A lot of people use pseudonyms when posting controversial opinions online.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pseudonym
First recorded in 1840–50; from Greek pseudṓnymon “false name”; see pseud-, -onym
Explanation
A pseudonym is a name that someone, often a writer, uses instead of their real name. The real name of Dr. Seuss was Theodore Seuss Geisel. Mark Twain was a pseudonym for the writer Samuel Clemens. A near synonym of pseudonym is pen name. Similarly, an allonym is the name of an important person in history that is taken by a writer as a pseudonym. Some of Shakespeare's plays might have been written by other writers using an allonym. If an actor uses a fake name, it is usually called a stage name. And there's no fancy work for nickname — it's just what your family and friends call you.
Vocabulary lists containing pseudonym
The Lightning Thief
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That’s So Meta: Words About Words
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I Am Malala
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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.
See Examples For:
The leaks are attributed to an account with the pseudonym Cyberleek, whose author or authors claim to be acting to expose the industry's business practices.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
She was 14 when she met 18-year-old “Sam,” a pseudonym Hackney assigns him in the memoir.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Factually, it’s baloney, although “Tony” does restore the restaurant’s actual name — the Flagship — from Bourdain’s Dreadnaught, the pseudonym he gave it before he ever imagined future fans following him around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Those taking part in the Eisteddfod's poetry competition do so under a pseudonym, with entrants' real details kept in a sealed envelope and winners' identities only revealed when announced.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Then, in one of the most widely read science journals in the world, she corrected her error: “Helen Lane, it seems, never lived. But Henrietta Lacks did, long protected by the pseudonym Helen Lane.”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Four women, who use the pseudonyms Isabella, Justine, Elizabeth and Margo and founded the "No One Above" advocacy group, have now been recognised as victims of human trafficking.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Some of the posters use only initials or pseudonyms, like “Pumpkin Spice” or “Banana Slug.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
With ultra-low budgets, many of the productions are non-union, prompting some writers and actors to work under pseudonyms to avoid facing sanctions from their unions, said several people who work on the shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
The women filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on 6 May under the pseudonyms Jane Doe 1, 2, 3 and 4.
From BBC ● May 29, 2025
Unable to get work there, he moved to England, where he wrote screenplays under pseudonyms.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
