anonymous

adjective

anon·​y·​mous ə-ˈnä-nə-məs How to pronounce anonymous (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to an anonymous eyewitness, several first responders arrived on the scene of the attack, which marks the fourth shark encounter in Florida's Volusia County so far this year, according to the county website. Bailey Richards, People.com, 19 July 2025 Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the West Hartford Police Department at 860-523-5203 or use the anonymous West Hartford Police Department Tip Line at 860-570-8969 or email at whpdtips@westhartfordct.gov. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025 In 2005, an anonymous tipster sent the family disturbing images of a woman from an adult website based in the Caribbean. Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025 But that has been just blood in the water, both to the Democrats who are now calling for the full release of the Epstein files and to the anonymous Republican strategists who have begun to warn of a drop in turnout in the midterms. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 19 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for anonymous

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of anonymous was in 1625

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Anonymous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymous. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

anonymous

adjective
anon·​y·​mous ə-ˈnän-ə-məs How to pronounce anonymous (audio)
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

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