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

And that gossipy nature that Berger captured appears to be accurate in tone: Vatican insiders have been leaking anonymous attacks against rivals to the Roman press, while some top contenders have suddenly been linked to abuse cases. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 7 May 2025

The news outlet cites anonymous sources, and notes that the cast was given the option to not perform the night Trump will be in the audience. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 May 2025

The anonymous women filed a single lawsuit, in Los Angeles County, alleging that they were raped at his various homes in California and Las Vegas, according to the complaint. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 7 May 2025

The student, who remained anonymous, threatened to shoot the teacher if their grade wasn’t changed, the school district said in its May 3 post on Facebook. —Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 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