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

Some hurried to try to unmask the anonymous woman behind the accusations. — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

The Star reported this story over the course of several weeks following an anonymous Reddit thread that went viral detailing allegations about Sanders’ misconduct and abuse at the two bars. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026

In a 26-page letter through an attorney, seven anonymous Sun Devils, fearing retaliation from Powers, wrote to Arizona State University president Michael Crow to place their head and assistant coaches on leave, per The Athletic. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 29 Sep. 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