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

She was found not guilty on four additional counts involving anonymous communications sent to law enforcement. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026

Visionhaus/Getty Images FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have met to discuss a potential first team player transfer from one La Liga giant to the other according to El Desmarque and The Touchline, which both cited anonymous sources. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals called several animal rescue groups for assistance Tuesday after receiving an anonymous tip. —Jenna Deangelis, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

The company, which also provides athlete recruiting data, video production and owns some sport venues, currently has EBITDA of $40 million, according to one of the people familiar with the matter who wished to remain anonymous. —Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 21 Jan. 2026

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