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In the early 20th century, the noun hyphenate referred to a resident or citizen of the U.S. whose recent foreign national origin caused others to question his or her patriotic loyalties - with or without there being just cause for that questioning. These hyphenates - the Irish-Americans, German-Americans, and others - were objects of suspicion. The hyphenates we're highlighting today are more often objects of admiration. Since around 1974, we've been referring to people with hyphens in their titles - producer-directors, for example, as hyphenates.
Examples of hyphenate in a Sentence
Amory Rowe Salem and Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 9 Jan. 2024
The company first hyphenated the name and soon eliminated the Burdines name.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hyphenate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hyphenate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hyphenate
Cite this Entry
“Hyphenate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyphenate. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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