incognito

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

in·​cog·​ni·​to ˌin-ˌkäg-ˈnē-(ˌ)tō 

 also  in-ˈkäg-nə-ˌtō

: with one's identity concealed

incognito

2 of 2

noun

plural incognitos

1

: one appearing or living incognito

2

: the state or assumed identity of one living or traveling incognito or incognita

Did you know?

The ancient Romans knew that there are times when you don't want to be recognized. For example, a story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells how Jupiter and Mercury visited a village incognito and asked for lodging. The supposedly penniless travelers were turned away from every household except that of a poor elderly couple named Baucis and Philemon; the pair provided a room and a feast for the visitors despite their own poverty. The Romans had a word that described someone or something unknown, like the gods in the tale: incognitus, a term that is the ancestor of our modern incognito. Cognitus is a form of the Latin verb cognoscere, which means "to know" and which also gives us recognize and cognizance, among other words.

Synonyms

Adverb or adjective

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

Examples of incognito in a Sentence

Adverb or adjective

an incognito source in the CIA was the source of the information

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb or adjective

So, without a Brazil jersey, my sister-in-law was incognito, until the game stared. —Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, 2 July 2018

Around her chest, a Gucci fanny pack gave her look that subtle edge, while her trucker hat—from the Dogfish Head brewery!—and large sunglasses made the case for going incognito. —Vogue, 16 Apr. 2019

Meanwhile, Rufus and Wyatt go incognito at a nearby plantation to find the sleeper and destroy the Confederate version of Gray’s Sports Almanac. —Rachel Kaufman, Smithsonian, 13 May 2018

The entire visa appointment apparently only took ten minutes, and Markle seemingly tried to go incognito by wearing sunglasses and a White Sox cap the entire time. —Lisa Ryan, The Cut, 12 Apr. 2018

So bad was secession fervor by then that Lincoln traveled incognito, Crofts writes, lest assassins kill him on the way. —Avi Selk, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2017

But after months of remaining relatively incognito, as his supporters continue to push for the arrest of the other men involved in his attack, Harris became one of the men charged with a crime. —Trymaine Lee, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

Italian, from Latin incognitus unknown, from in- + cognitus, past participle of cognoscere to know — more at cognition

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

1635, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

incognito

adverb or adjective

in·​cog·​ni·​to

ˌin-ˌkäg-ˈnēt-ō,

in-ˈkäg-nə-ˌtō

: with one's identity concealed (as by a false name or title)

was traveling incognito

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

from Italian incognito "so as not to be known or recognized," from Latin incognitus "unknown," from in- "not" and cognitus, past participle of cognoscere "to know" — related to connoisseur, recognize