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

• one
• unnamed

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 Information, which cited anonymous sources for the report. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 6 July 2025

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted anonymous soldiers who said they were ordered to deliberately open fire at unarmed crowds on their way to the food sites. —Anas Baba, NPR, 6 July 2025

Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid could loan out its teenage Brazilian Endrick to one of a list of interested Italian clubs and also sell breakout Club World Cup star Gonzalo Garcia according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

Three Arizona pizzerias were ranked among the best in the U.S. by 50 Top Pizza. 50 Top Pizza uses anonymous judges who consider pizza quality, service, ambiance and beverages. —Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 4 July 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