Pseudonym has its origins in the Greek adjective pseudōnymos, which means “bearing a false name.” French speakers adopted the Greek word as the noun pseudonyme, and English speakers later modified the French word into pseudonym. Many celebrated authors have used pseudonyms. Samuel Clemens wrote under the pseudonym “Mark Twain,” Charles Lutwidge Dodgson assumed the pseudonym “Lewis Carroll,” and Mary Ann Evans used “George Eliot” as her pseudonym.
Mark Twain is the pseudonym of the American writer Samuel L. Clemens.
the most notorious serial killer of the 19th century remains known only by the pseudonym of Jack the Ripper
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The women, suing collectively under the pseudonym Jane Doe, accused Bank of America of ignoring suspicious transactions by Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
27 Aug. 2026 Cutter is the pseudonym for USA Today bestseller Craig Davidson, whose novel won the James Herbert Award for Horror Writing.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
27 Aug. 2026 Two are being identified with pseudonyms out of concern for the safety of relatives in Afghanistan.—
Dominique Soguel,
Christian Science Monitor,
15 Aug. 2026 Tusk said at the time that the killing of Robert Kuzovkov, known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, had the hallmarks of a political assassination.—
Claudia Ciobanu,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pseudonym
Word History
Etymology
French pseudonyme, from Greek pseudōnymos bearing a false name, from pseud- + onyma name — more at name