anonymous

adjective

anon·​y·​mous ə-ˈnä-nə-məs 

1

: of unknown authorship or origin

an anonymous tip

2

: not named or identified

an anonymous author

They wish to remain anonymous.

3

: lacking individuality, distinction, or recognizability

the anonymous faces in the crowd

… the gray anonymous streets …

—William Styron

anonymousness noun

Synonyms

• certain
• given
• one
• some
• unidentified
• unnamed
• unspecified

Examples of anonymous in a Sentence

The donor wishes to remain anonymous.

An anonymous buyer purchased the painting.

The college received an anonymous gift.

He made an anonymous phone call to the police.

The reporter got an anonymous tip.

His was just another anonymous face in the crowd.

Recent Examples on the Web

The anonymous tip came via P3 Tips, a mobile app that can be downloaded on cellphones or accessed via the web to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers programs and law enforcement agencies. —Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

In a shocking but logical end to their brotherhood, Oz strangles Victor Aguilar to death, throws his ID in the river, and leaves his anonymous body to be found by the next passing stranger. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024

Premier League clubs are lining up to try and sign FC Barcelona breakthrough star Marc Casado - who has a relatively low $109 million (€100 million) release clause - according to Mundo Deportivo, which cited a report using anonymous sources. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

An anonymous user had been intermittently posting bite-size recordings of a discussion between Parks and an unspecified person. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin anōnymos, anōnymus "lacking a name" (borrowed from Greek anṓnymos "lacking a name, unnamed, not well-known or remembered," from an- an- + -ōnymos, derivative in adjectival compounds of ónoma, Doric and Aeolic dialects ónyma "name") + -ous — more at name entry 1

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

anonymous

adjective

anon·​y·​mous ə-ˈnän-ə-məs 

1

: not named or identified

the donor remained anonymous

2

: made or done by someone unknown

anonymous gifts

an anonymous poem

anonymously adverb

anonymousness noun

Etymology

from Latin anonymus "anonymous," from Greek anonymos (same meaning), from an-, a- "not, without" and onyma, onoma "name" — related to synonymous