1. Plural of penname; fictitious names adopted by authors for publication instead of their real names.
Usage: Also written as 'pen names' (two words) or 'pen-names' (hyphenated).; Common in literature, journalism, and online writing.

Examples

• Many famous authors published under pennames to protect their privacy.
• The author used several different pennames throughout her career.
• Stephen King wrote horror novels under the penname Richard Bachman.
• Online writers often adopt pennames to maintain anonymity.
• Publishers sometimes encouraged authors to use pennames that sounded more marketable.
• The detective discovered that all three books were written by the same person using different pennames.