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 Athletic has spoken to people close to the squad and those with an understanding of how decisions are made at Forest — who wish to remain anonymous to protect relationships — to get an idea of where Postecoglou stands and what might happen next. —Paul Taylor, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

The other half of the second-largest Powerball jackpot to date was claimed by an anonymous player in Missouri in late September. —James Powel, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025

One of his anonymous fans offers $50,000 for an in-person meet-and-greet. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025

The report cites five anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the matter to support this information. —Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 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