Word
pseudonym
Phoneticspseu·do·nym
US/ˈsudəˌnɪm/
UK/sˈuːdəʊnˌɪm/
Definition
n. a fake name that someone, like an author, uses instead of their real name. You use this when you want to keep your identity secret.
n. a fictitious name assumed by an individual, typically an author, to conceal their identity. Often used to separate a writer's personal life from their professional output.
Examples
“The famous author wrote her new book under a pseudonym.”
“To avoid the bias associated with her family name, the journalist published her investigation under a pseudonym.”
“Throughout the eighteenth century, political satirists frequently adopted classical pseudonyms to shield themselves from libel charges while critiquing the ruling class.”
Examples
simple
“The famous author wrote her new book under a pseudonym.”
contextual
“To avoid the bias associated with her family name, the journalist published her investigation under a pseudonym.”
complex
“Throughout the eighteenth century, political satirists frequently adopted classical pseudonyms to shield themselves from libel charges while critiquing the ruling class.”
Usage
Often paired with the verbs 'use', 'adopt', or 'write under'.
Real-World Examples
“As soon as I became obsessive about music at the age of eight, that’s all I could communicate about.”
He began making music under the pseudonym Final when he was 13.” “Undeterred, Scherer adopted a second pseudonym – Éric Rohmer – and decided to try his luck as a film-maker instead.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
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englishreference.com/q/pseudonym