The Meaning of AKA: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of AKA? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the abbreviation AKA, including its definition, usage, examples, and more!

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

What does the abbreviation AKA stand for?

According to Collins English Dictionary, AKA means also known as .This is used when introducing someone, and especially when referring to a person’s nickname, stage name, or alias. AKA is pronounced by its individual letters and is therefore considered an initialism – the pronunciation of AKA is ay-kay-ay.  Someone might choose to use a fake name on a social media site like Facebook or Twitter so that they do not need to reveal their secret identity when it is unnecessary, or they might choose to publish a book or piece of entertainment under an alternate name as not to reveal their gender or something else about themselves. 

Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definition. You can also try to make flashcards or quizzes for yourself to test your knowledge of definitions. Learning new words is a great way to make yourself sound smarter and to improve your vocabulary. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today. Below is an example sentence of a time you might use the term AKA:

Daniel Kah, AKA the Lion of Lincoln, steps onto the field for the team’s homecoming game. 

Here, the term AKA is used to introduce Daniel’s nickname to the crowd. In this next example, an author is being introduced at a book signing and question and answer session.

Please welcome to the stage Nora Halloway AKA N. L. Hollow, author of the ever popular book series Janie and the Beast! 

Here, the author is introduced first by her real name and then by her pen name. The author might choose to use a pen name so that her gender is not assumed before reading the book, or she might choose to use a pen name because there is already an author with her name. 

There are many different ways that someone could use AKA to introduce someone with an alternate name. These might include a stage name or pen anime, or simply a nickname or other moniker by which a person wishes to be addressed. 

According to The Free Dictionary, AKA can stand for much more than also known as. This acronym has numerous other potential definitions, but these are less commonly used. If you do decide to use one of these alternate meaning of the terms, make sure that you provide the person you are talking to with the pepper context and information so that they are not confused. 

  •  Alcoholic Ketoacidosis
  •  American Kitefliers Association
  •  Austrian Kendo Association
  •  Advanced Knowledge Associates, Inc.
  •  Asociace Komunikaèních Agentur (European Association of Communications Agencies)
  •  Above Knee Amputation
  •  Association of Korean Adoptees
  •  American Kickboxing Academy
  •  Authentication and Key Agreement
  •  Abstrackt Keal Agram (band)
  •  A King Agency (insurance company; Arvada, CO)
  •  Anarchistic Key Authorization (authentication protocol)
  •  Activation Key Agreement (computer licenses)
  •  American Killifish Association
  •  Attack Cargo Ship (Auxiliary, Cargo, Attack)
  •  American Kennel Association
  •  Applied Knowledge Assessment (various organizations)
  •  Another Known Alias
  •  Applications of Kleene Algebra
  •  Albert Kahn & Associates, Inc. (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
  •  Alpha Kappa Alpha (sorority)
  •  All Kenyans Abroad (Kenyan record label)
  •  Ankeny Kell Architects (St. Paul, MN)
  •  Asahi Kasei America (New York)

What are synonyms for the acronym AKA?

There are many different words that are equivalent to the word AKA. Synonyms are words and phrases that have the same or a similar definition as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a useful English language tool because they can help you to avoid repeating the same word over and over again while simultaneously expanding your vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word AKA is provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  also called
  •  under the name of
  •  pen name
  •  summer name
  •  stage name
  •  incognito
  •  otherwise known as
  •  alias
  •  allonym
  •  street name
  •  cognomen
  •  nom de guerre
  •  another name
  •  name
  •  code-named
  •  appellation
  •  penname
  •  aliases
  •  assumed name
  •  label
  •  byname
  •  agnomen
  •  handle
  •  pseudonym
  •  named
  •  pet name
  •  fictitious name
  •  nom de plume
  •  last name
  •  moniker
  •  nickname
  •  family name
  •  surname
  •  soubriquet
  •  term of endearment
  •  code name
  •  anonym
  •  anonym
  •  otherwise
  •  sobriquet
  •  ananym
  •  epithet
  •  professional name
  •  sock puppet
  •  first name
  •  false identity
  •  title
  •  false name
  •  also known as
  •  pen-name
  •  or else
  •  commonly known as
  •  elyas
  •  given name
  •  signature
  •  by-name
  •  pseudonyms
  •  designation
  •  aquaintance
  •  head
  •  middle name
  •  namesake
  •  tag
  •  autograph
  •  compellation
  •  appellative
  •  in contrast
  •  aliasing
  •  illias
  •  assumed identity
  •  contrarily
  •  style
  •  forename
  •  brand
  •  heading
  •  ilyas
  •  chanced
  •  identity
  •  identification
  •  flag
  •  term
  •  in other respects
  •  behalf
  •  nomen
  •  call
  •  denomination
  •  dubbed
  •  christian name
  •  elsewise
  •  eponym
  •  nom de theatre
  •  agname
  •  antialiasing
  •  known as
  •  extra
  •  else
  •  autonym

There are also a number of words that mean the opposite of the word AKA. These opposite words are known as antonyms, which are words and phrases that have the opposite definitions as another word or phrase. Antonyms are also a useful tool to expand a person’s vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word AKA is also provided by Power Thesaurus. 

  •  unity
  •  individualism
  •  parity
  •  selfness
  •  similarity
  •  homology
  •  integrity
  •  identicalness
  •  identify
  •  unanimity
  •  recognition
  •  par
  •  singularity
  •  resemblance
  •  undividedness
  •  selfsameness
  •  identity element
  •  self
  •  adequation
  •  agreement
  •  personal identity
  •  congruity
  •  sameness
  •  equality
  •  selfdom
  •  character
  •  identities
  •  likeness
  •  identity
  •  indistinguishability
  •  personhood
  •  uniqueness
  •  selfhood
  •  particularity
  •  individuality
  •  homogeneity
  •  correspondence
  •  indivisibility
  •  congruence
  •  uniformity
  •  equivalence
  •  coincidence
  •  identification
  •  distinctiveness
  •  persona
  •  name
  •  oneness
  •  singleness
  •  person
  •  personality
  •  self-identity

Overall, the term AKA means also known as. This slang term  is a way of introducing a person’s aliases, alternate name or title, or any such pseudonyms or nicknames. Try using this acronym of the day in a sentence today! It is very useful in everyday English conversations.

Sources:

  1. AKA – What does AKA stand for? | The Free Dictionary 
  2. Aka definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. 
  3. Aka synonyms – 17 Words and Phrases for Aka | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Identity synonyms – 595 Words and Phrases for Identity | Power ThesaurusÂ