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

Speaking to The Texas Tribune, Randy Howry, the anonymous woman's lawyer, said they had been told the money wouldn't be paid until the completion of separate investigations led by Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Texas Rangers, who form part of the Texas Department of Public Safety. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

In a post shared on an anonymous Reddit forum, the woman writes that her husband lost his wife, Sarah, five years ago. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025

Abbott noted that corporations are granted copyrights, as are authors who are anonymous or pseudonymous. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025

An anonymous source also told gossip Instagram account Bravo & Cocktails in September 2024 that Jesse and Lexi had split. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 19 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for anonymous

• autonomous
• economise
• eponymous
• synonymous

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