pseudonym en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Back-formation from pseudonymous, from French pseudonyme (“pseudonymous”, adjective), from Ancient Greek ψευδώνυμος (pseudṓnumos), from ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false”) and ὄνυμα (ónuma), a dialectal form of ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”). By surface analysis, pseudo- + -onym.
Meanings
-
A fictitious name (more literally, a false name), as those used by writers and movie stars.
“I, at first, tried to say, ‘Well, maybe it was an accident. Maybe it got stuck in a printer.’ That was my first thought,” Parker, who requested to go by a pseudonym due to fear of retaliation, tells Them.
2025 March 3, Nico Lang, ““Simply Trying to Exist”: How Trans Americans Are Navigating the Confusion and Chaos of Trump’s Passport Policy”, in Them, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2025:I doubt, indeed, whether I should not abandon the struggle altogether—leave this sad world of ordinary life for which I am so ill fitted, abandon the name of Cummins for some professional pseudonym, complete my self-effacement, and—a thing of tricks and tatters, of posing and pretence—go upon the stage.
c. 1911, H. G. Wells, The Obliterated Man:The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll.
The best example of its literary use so far are the German novel The Golem, by Gustav Meyrink, and the drama The Dybbuk, by the jewish writer using the pseudonym "Ansky".
1928, H.P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pseudonyms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
alethonym · autonym · orthonym
Coordinates
nickname · moniker · alias · handle
Deriveds
pseudonymic · pseudonymity · pseudonymization · pseudonymiser · pseudonymize · pseudonymousness · pseudonymized · pseudonymously · pseudonymizer · pseudonymous · pseudonymise · pseudonymisation
Relateds
dysphemism · codename · nom de code · euphemism
Synonyms
Translations (99)
nn pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sk pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · pt pseudónimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ka ფსევდონიმი (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · tr psödonim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · tr mahlas (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · hy կեղծանուն (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 仮名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nl schuilnaam (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · kmr zirrnav (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · th นามแฝง (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · et varjunimi (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · io pseudonimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · is höfundarnafn (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ur تَخَلُّص (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 芸名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · hu álnév (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sh pseudònim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · uz taxallus (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ur عَرْف (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · af skuilnaam (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · id pseudonim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nrf nom-d'plieunme (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 偽名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · fi pseudonyymi (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · de Pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · cs pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sw jina bandia (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ko 익명 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 武号 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · lv pseidonīms (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · be псеўдані́м (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sq pseudonim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ko 필명 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nl pseudoniem (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · cmn 藝名 /艺名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · la pseudonymum (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · vi tên tự (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · lt pseudonimas (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nl deknaam (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · vi bút danh (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · mk псевдони́м (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · el ψευδώνυμο (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ko 가명 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · es seudónimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ar اِسْم مُسْتَعَار (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ckb زِڕناو (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 変名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sh псеудо̀ним (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · kk лақап ат (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · eo pseŭdonimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · bo མིང་རྫུས་མ (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nb pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sv pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · br anv-pluenn (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nb psevdonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 筆名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · it pseudonimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ru вы́мышленное и́мя (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ru псевдони́м (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ur عُرْف (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · az təxəllüs (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · vi biệt hiệu (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · bg псевдони́м (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ga ainm cleite (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · lt slapyvardis (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sdh زِڕناو (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · hi छद्मनाम (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · uk псевдоні́м (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · eo kaŝnomo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · is dulnefni (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · fr pseudonyme (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · fi nimimerkki (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · scn psiudònimu (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · cmn 筆名 /笔名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · cmn 假名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sq emër i rremë (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · fi salanimi (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · cmn 化名 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja 雅号 (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · cy ffugenw (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · da pseudonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · fa-ira نامِ مُسْتَعار (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · pl pseudonim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · pt pseudônimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ga ainm bréige (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · kk бүркеншік ат (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · is leyninafn (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ca pseudònim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · et pseudonüüm (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · sl psevdonim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · vi tên chữ (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · nn psevdonym (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · fr nom de guerre (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · hi तख़ल्लुस (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ro pseudonim (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · gu તખલ્લુસ (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · ja ペンネーム (fictitious name (more literally, a false name)) · es pseudónimo (fictitious name (more literally, a false name))