nameless

adjective

name·​less ˈnām-ləs 

1

: obscure, undistinguished

2

: not known by name : anonymous

3

: having no legal right to a name (as due to being born to parents not married to each other)

4

: not having been given a name : unnamed

5

: not marked with a name

a nameless grave

6

a

: incapable of precise description : indefinable

b

: too repulsive or distressing to describe

namelessly adverb

namelessness noun

Synonyms

• anonymous
• faceless
• incognito
• innominate
• unbaptized
• unchristened
• unidentified
• unnamed
• untitled

Examples of nameless in a Sentence

She left the hotel with a nameless man in a black jacket.

The source for my story prefers to remain nameless.

A top government official, who shall remain nameless, has expressed concern about the decision.

The men were buried there in nameless graves.

Recent Examples on the Web

LinkedIn actually serves you best when your internal experts—not just your brand page or nameless marketers—share insights in their own voices. —Renae Gregoire, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

The arcade version follows two nameless shinobi through a Double Dragon-style beat ‘em up game with little in the way of story (in true coin-op fashion). —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025

Every victim that’s out there nameless will get their name back. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025

From time to time, fields and forests had yielded up unexploded ordnance, even the nameless dead. —James Wood, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nameless

• aimless
• blameless
• shameless

Kids Definition

nameless

adjective

name·​less ˈnām-ləs 

1

: having no name

2

: not marked with a name

a nameless grave

3

: unknown entry 1, anonymous

a nameless hero

4

a

: impossible to describe

nameless fears

b

: too disgusting or disturbing to be described

nameless acts of cruelty