pen name

plural pen names · alternative pen-name · alternative penname

1. A fictitious name used by an author in place of their actual name; a writer's pseudonym.

   In their time, it was fashionable to sign letters using a pen name. These pen names were borrowed from characters in classical literature.

   2002, Jacqueline Ching, Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary Woman, The Rosen Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 19

   1 more example

   Within a week of King's acknowledging the Bachman pen name, several sources —publishers, book dealers, readers, and fans—had mentioned a number of possible other pseudonyms; obviously, if King admitted to two pen names, John Swithen and Richard Bachmann, there might be others.

   1998, Bill Munster, Discovering Dean Koontz, Wildside Press LLC, →ISBN, page 64

   Synonyms: nom de plume