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

Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at [phone]. —Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 June 2024

Anyone with information on this who wants to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys at 305-471-8477 (TIPS) or by going to the Crime Stoppers website. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 June 2024

Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can call North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers at 704-896-7867. 7042189350 Julia Coin covers local and federal courts and legal issues after previously working as a breaking news reporter for the Observer. —Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2024

One high-net-worth individual from the Middle East, who asked to remain anonymous, has canned plans to relocate with his family from Monaco to London as his children approached schooling age. —Eli Joseph, Fortune Europe, 6 June 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

1563, 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