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

Pieced together with questionable teams of co-writers and collaborators, 2014’s Songs of Innocence and especially 2017’s Songs of Experience were lumbering and anonymous. — Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 12 Nov. 2026

The anonymous email also threatened Meloni, according to copies obtained by Italian media, including the LaPresse news agency. — Colleen Barry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

Last week, an anonymous source from a September Deutsche Bank investment conference told The Athletic that Glazer said Manchester United can be commercially powerful without success on the field. — Zahin Das, NBC news, 11 Nov. 2026

To distinguish the world of the anonymous YouTube characters from the real lives of the people behind them, Leitch and his team shot the in-universe videos on prosumer digital cameras, while the unmasked drama was filmed on 35mm film. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 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