What does acronym mean?
An acronym is a word created from the initial letters — or sometimes larger fragments — of a multi-word name or phrase. Familiar examples include NASA, formed from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and laser, from light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Some linguists draw a careful distinction between true acronyms, which are pronounced as single words, and initialisms such as FBI or BBC, which are spoken letter by letter; in everyday English, though, acronym is widely used for both. Acronyms serve a practical purpose: they compress long, unwieldy names into short, memorable forms, which makes them especially common in government, science, technology, business, and medicine. Over time, many acronyms become so thoroughly absorbed into ordinary speech that speakers forget their origins entirely — few people think of scuba or radar as abbreviations at all. The word itself entered English in the twentieth century, coined from Greek roots meaning 'tip' or 'end' and 'name', literally referring to the ends of the words being abbreviated.
nounA word formed from the initial letters or syllables of a series of words, such as NASA (from National Aeronautics and Space Administration) or laser (from light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation).
- A word formed from the initial letters (or groups of letters) of a phrase and pronounced as a word, e.g. NASA, UNESCO.
- More loosely, any abbreviation formed from initial letters, including those pronounced letter by letter, e.g. FBI, BBC.
"The report was so full of acronyms that new employees needed a glossary to follow it."
"NASA is one of the most recognizable acronyms in the world."
"She rattled off the acronym without pausing to expand it."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to multiple such abbreviations.
"The document was cluttered with unexplained acronyms."
Laser, radar, and scuba are all acronyms — words so natural they've forgotten they were ever built from other words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of acronym
The word 'acronym' was coined in the twentieth century from Greek elements: 'akros', meaning 'topmost' or 'at the end', and 'onyma', meaning 'name' — a reference to taking the ends (initial letters) of a phrase's words. It is related to other '-onym' formations such as synonym, antonym, and pseudonym, all built on the same Greek root for 'name'. The practice of forming such abbreviations became widespread with military and governmental terminology during the twentieth century, which is also when the word itself gained currency.
How acronym is actually used
Strictly speaking, some linguists reserve 'acronym' for forms pronounced as words (NATO, laser) and use 'initialism' for forms spelled out letter by letter (FBI, CIA). In everyday usage, however, 'acronym' covers both. The plural is simply 'acronyms'.
Easily confused with acronym
An acronym is pronounced as a single word (like NATO), while an initialism is spoken letter by letter (like FBI), though 'acronym' is often used loosely to cover both.