Epithet Meaning
/ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA term used to characterize a person or thing.
nounA term used as a qualifier of the name of a deity in order to designate said deity in a particular aspect or role.
Sentence Examples
How did Vlad the Impaler get his epithet?
Tom was fired for using a racial epithet at work.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The angry fan shouted a racial ____ at the opposing player.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The history book often used 'The Great' as an ____ for the famous ancient king.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French épithète, from Latin epithetum, epitheton, from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton, “epithet, adjective”), the neuter of ἐπίθετος (epíthetos, “additional”), from ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi, “to add on”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “in addition”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put”) (suf. possibly related to title in the sense of "ascribed appellation") (from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to do”)). Doublet of epitheton.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"She would lean her head for hours on Beatrice's shoulder, only now and then applying to her some childish and endearing epithet."
— 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 130:
"Part of this process was the elaboration of new terms for the Jew, especially the increasingly popular epithet “kike”."
— 2006, Eric L. Goldstein, The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity:
"Counterprotesters shouted epithets as they walked by, but the opposing groups kept it nonviolent."
— 2025 January 15, Linda Feldmann, “Outside the DC jail, where Jan. 6 rage and devotion live on”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025:
"Politico reported that epithets appeared more than 251 times."
— 2025 October 15, David W. Chen, Megan Mineiro, “Republicans Face Fallout From Racist and Homophobic Texts”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Oct 2025:
"Her book includes an incisive discussion of misogyny on the New Right. [Laura K.] Field notes how “gynocracy” and “the longhouse” have become overwrought MAGA epithets for an unbearably feminized and pluralist society."
— 2025 December 17, Jennifer Szalai, “The Intellectuals Fueling the MAGA Movement”, in The New York Times Book Review, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Dec 2025:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The angry fan shouted a racial ____ at the opposing player.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The history book often used 'The Great' as an ____ for the famous ancient king.