1
as in nicknames
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
King Richard I of England was given the very laudatory epithet "the Lion-Hearted"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the school has a strict ban against the use of offensive epithets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of epithets
Use chapter titles or epithets to set up what’s coming.
—
Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.
—Larry David, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
Terrell represented a Black teenager who’d been expelled from a Los Angeles high school for punching a white referee during a football game after the referee allegedly had directed racial epithets at him.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
At one point, tempers flared in the drive-thru lane as a driver in a pickup truck gave up and somehow managed to pull off a U-turn, precipitating a hangry window-down exchange of epithets with the car behind him.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.
—Larry David, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
Terrell represented a Black teenager who’d been expelled from a Los Angeles high school for punching a white referee during a football game after the referee allegedly had directed racial epithets at him.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
At one point, tempers flared in the drive-thru lane as a driver in a pickup truck gave up and somehow managed to pull off a U-turn, precipitating a hangry window-down exchange of epithets with the car behind him.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epithets
Noun
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And though some nicknames can wear out their welcome with age, McCollough does not feel that way about his.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
25 Sep. 2025
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That is, of course, until recent reports about William and Harry’s nicknames for her resurfaced.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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During the speech, however, Kemp periodically deviated from building up Astra to hurling insults at several of his competitors in the launch industry.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
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Kimmel has been a frequent target, with the two trading insults.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many descendants of the original settlers — with surnames like Crockett, Parks and Thomas — have remained to this day.—
Julie Depenbrock,
NPR,
22 Sep. 2025
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There are new sets of rules on uniforms, including name plates bearing soldiers' surnames on Army Green Service Uniforms.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lily, Loki, Max, Star, Oscar, Zelda, Pepper, Callie, Gus, Kitty, Olive, Olivia, Jack and Chloe, are among the other popular monikers.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
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Which of the following monikers did Benjamin Franklin NOT employ?—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Epithets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epithets. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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