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nickname

1 of 2

noun

nick·nameˈnik-ˌnām How to pronounce nickname (audio)

Synonyms ofnickname next

:a usually descriptive name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to a person, place, or thing

:a familiar form of a proper name (as of a person or a city)

nickname

2 of 2

verb

nicknamed;nicknaming;nicknames

transitive verb

:misname,miscall

:to give a nickname to

nicknamernoun

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History ofNickname

It might look likenickname is a compound noun formed by addingnick andname together, but the actual history of this word is a bit more complicated. It was formed bymetanalysis, or the changing of the division of words based upon how they sound together. In this case, the Middle English wordeke, meaning “also” or “in addition,” was joined withname to formekename—literally, “also-name,” used for a secondary or unofficial name in the late Middle Ages. Over time,an ekename becamea nickname presumably becauseeke had become less familiar as a word. Needless to say,nick in this case doesn’t mean “also” or anything else, it just represents a comfortable and familiar alternative to the word’s original spelling.

Synonyms ofnickname

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Noun

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Examples ofnickname in a Sentence

Noun His mother gave him thenickname “Winky” when he was a baby. Earvin “Magic” Johnson got hisnickname from the way he handled a basketball.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.

Noun

One quick look at the town after dark—when garlands, wreaths, and window displays illuminate its 18th-century streets—makes thenickname feel entirely earned.—

Staff Author,Travel + Leisure, 11 Dec. 2025Led by the matriarch known as Boa (Paula Dinamarca), the women take great pride in their appearances and their colorfulnicknames, and can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of their situation.—

Christian Zilko,IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025

Verb

Midfielder The back story This is the son of former Rotherham United, Chesterfield, Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic defender Ian Breckin, who wasnicknamed ‘Breckinbauer’ by fans after the Bayern Munich and Germany international Franz Beckenbauer and is still in the game these days as a scout.—

Rob Tanner,New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025Part of Florida’s beloved Treasure Coast, Fort Pierce isnicknamed Sunrise City thanks to its otherworldly shows over the Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean that give you an automatic jumpstart to your day.—

Tara Massouleh McCay,Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025See All Example Sentences fornickname

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle Englishneke name "added name, nickname," alteration (resulting from misdivision ofan ekename) ofekename, fromeke "increase, addition" (going back to Old Englishēaca, going back to dialectal Germanic*auka(n)- —whence also Old Frisianāka "addition, supplement," OIcelauki— derivative from the base of*aukan- "to increase") +namenameentry 1 — more atekeentry 2

Verb

derivative ofnicknameentry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined atsense 1

Verb

1536, in the meaning defined atsense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use ofnickname was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Rhymes fornickname

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Browse Nearby Words

nicknack

nickname

nicknameless

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Articles Related tonickname

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nickname.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nickname. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.

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Kids Definition

nickname

1 of 2noun

nick·nameˈnik-ˌnām How to pronounce nickname (audio)

:an often descriptive name (as "Shorty" or "Tex") given in addition to the one belonging to an individual

:a form of a proper name (as "Billy" for "William") used by family or friends

nickname

2 of 2verb

:to give a nickname to

Etymology

Noun

Middle Englishnekename "an additional name," from the phrasean ekename (misunderstood as beinga nekename), fromeke "something added on" andname "name"

Word Origin

The Middle English wordeke meant "something added on." Anekename was therefore an added name given to a person or place. Many people who heard the phrase "an ekename," however, thought they were hearing "a nekename." Because of that confusion over the course of many years, the wordekename becamenekename. Later changes in spelling have given us the modern wordnickname.