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

What is the best way to stay private, secure and anonymous while browsing the web? —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 10 Feb. 2025

The anonymous data gathered from our shopping stories shows that our readers also felt this tug-of-war between lofty aspirations and the urge to hibernate. —Venus Wong, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2025

Allen was even the player picked in The Athletic’s 2024 anonymous NFL player poll as the next person to win their first-ever MVP award. —Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025

Among the 300-plus individuals who have lodged objections to the House v. NCAA settlement, one anonymous letter submitted just before the Jan. 31 deadline stands out, offering an explanation for why there weren’t hundreds if not thousands more objections. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 7 Feb. 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

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