nameless

adjective

name·​less ˈnām-ləs 

1

: obscure, undistinguished

2

: not known by name : anonymous

3

: having no legal right to a name (as due to being born to parents not married to each other)

4

: not having been given a name : unnamed

5

: not marked with a name

a nameless grave

6

a

: incapable of precise description : indefinable

b

: too repulsive or distressing to describe

namelessly adverb

namelessness noun

Synonyms

• anonymous
• faceless
• incognito
• innominate
• unbaptized
• unchristened
• unidentified
• unnamed
• untitled

Examples of nameless in a Sentence

She left the hotel with a nameless man in a black jacket.

The source for my story prefers to remain nameless.

A top government official, who shall remain nameless, has expressed concern about the decision.

The men were buried there in nameless graves.

Recent Examples on the Web

The monologue, first staged in 1930, consists of one side of a phone call between a nameless heroine and her ex. —Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

Compared to past conflicts, writing the killers as a nameless, faceless goon squad and then letting those nameless, faceless goons get away with it isn’t very affecting (or effective). —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024

The character is nameless in Tolkien's text, but producer Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote Peter Jackson's classic live-action Lord of the Rings movies) and screenwriter Phoebe Gittins wanted to tell her story. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2024

The key is to avoid letting your money sit idle and turn into a nameless slush fund. —Shane Enete, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

nameless

adjective

name·​less ˈnām-ləs 

1

: having no name

2

: not marked with a name

a nameless grave

3

: unknown entry 1, anonymous

a nameless hero

4

a

: impossible to describe

nameless fears

b

: too disgusting or disturbing to be described

nameless acts of cruelty