nickname

[ nik-neym ]

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.

verb (used with object)

, nick·named, nick·nam·ing.

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

/ 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

verb

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

Other Words From

• nicknamer noun
• un·nicknamed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nickname¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nickname¹

C15 a nekename, mistaken division of an ekename an additional name, from eke addition + name

Example Sentences

India is known as “the pharmacy of the world,” and the nickname is well-deserved.

From Fortune

I would tell people that my name was Tammy, which is funny, because while they actually gave me that nickname in not such a flattering way, but I hated that I had a boy’s name, but now it makes me different and so I love it.

From Ozy

This, of course, is applicable for Gear Moms and nonparents, too—I just invented this hack, and Gear Dad is my nickname at the Outside offices.

From Outside Online

Some cities like Escondido, Rancho Peñasquitos and Santee have derogatory or naughty nicknames, but “Border City” is not – and has not ever been – a thing.

From Voice of San Diego

She gives Charlie not only a gorgeous sweater and other swag but the inimitable nicknames “cockring” and “stepson.”

From Washington Blade

Her style, much like her diminutive nickname, is best described as “Hamptons twee”—preppy and peppy.

From The Daily Beast

My nickname was Captain, though I was a private, first class.

From The Daily Beast

All would attest to the manifest goodness that inspired the perfect nickname for the boy who would become a perfect cop.

From The Daily Beast

In Vietnam, Lewis was advisor to a Vietnamese infantry unit, whose nickname for him was “Captain of Many Kilos.”

From The Daily Beast

His nickname, given to him at the Battle of Gettysburg and which he kept for the rest of his life, was Stonewall Jim.

From The Daily Beast

This last appellation was but a nickname of the tribe, which was properly called Wendot or Wyandot.

From Project Gutenberg

A correspondent writes to The Times to object to the nickname "Tommies" applied to our soldiers.

From Project Gutenberg

His name and his bright past, seen through the prism of whispered gossip, had gained him the nickname of The Admiral.

From Project Gutenberg

He was given the nickname of Malagrida, a Portuguese Jesuit who had been executed for conspiracy in 1761.

From Project Gutenberg

But in ordinary families it was quite natural that a nickname applied to the father should become a surname.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• epithet
• moniker
• sobriquet
• style
• tag