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

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 913-971-6363 or the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026

Christos Tzolis’ arrival from Club Brugge this summer could remedy that somewhat, with people who previously worked with the Greece international, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, highlighting the aggression in his running. — Art De Roché, New York Times, 31 July 2026

An anonymous reward can be claimed by calling 520-88-CRIME with information that leads to an arrest. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026

There is plenty of criticism in healthcare already — most of it anonymous, most of it aimed outward, none of it costing the speaker anything. — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 31 July 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