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 of anonymous

• 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

However, top officials rallied against the idea, the Journal reported, citing anonymous current and former administration officials familiar with the matter. —Dylan Butts, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2025

Major airports in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and more are included in the list of 40 sites facing flight reductions, according to reports from ABC News and CBS News, which cited anonymous sources. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

While the survey was supposed to be anonymous, many employees feared the digital option wouldn't remain anonymous, McGuire said. —Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Nov. 2025

To help fund the Wauwatosa School District's teacher training for Act 20, an anonymous donor shared a commitment of $50,000, but the district has not yet formally received the donation, according to Jessie Tuttle, the district's director of strategic communications. —Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 6 Nov. 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