1
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
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
Although Jones’s choreography is at times lithe and forceful — especially in some of the sequences featuring the show’s chorus, a group of nameless characters collectively known as the Echo Chamber — there’s no single element that helps to pull the fuzzy mélange of Watch Night into sharp focus.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2023
Beneath the red open sign of the nameless bar that watered down its whiskey, darkness and shimmery yellow beads of neon light half-heartedly aped what a corner of the Las Vegas Strip might have been thirty years ago.
—William T. Vollmann, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
In the past two years, Ariely has nevertheless continued, privately in English and publicly in Hebrew, to implicate a nameless figure at the Hartford.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
What once felt like a niche being expertly filled now resembles a formula beaten into submission, like so many nameless thugs threatening the safety of a tough guy’s offspring.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2023
The heads of these and many other federal agencies are almost always nameless political appointees.
—Tom Margenau, Dallas News, 20 Aug. 2023
Associate features director Dianna Mazzone got hive-y one weekend during this year's skin-care testing process (the culprit shall remain nameless), but this serum made her face camera-ready again by Monday.
—Liana Schaffner, Allure, 21 Sep. 2023
If dissolving into a nameless swarm sounds terrifying, don’t be scared, babygirl.
—Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
Cybercriminals often escape accountability by remaining nameless and faceless.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 30 Aug. 2023
See More
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2023
Beneath the red open sign of the nameless bar that watered down its whiskey, darkness and shimmery yellow beads of neon light half-heartedly aped what a corner of the Las Vegas Strip might have been thirty years ago.
—William T. Vollmann, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
In the past two years, Ariely has nevertheless continued, privately in English and publicly in Hebrew, to implicate a nameless figure at the Hartford.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
What once felt like a niche being expertly filled now resembles a formula beaten into submission, like so many nameless thugs threatening the safety of a tough guy’s offspring.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2023
The heads of these and many other federal agencies are almost always nameless political appointees.
—Tom Margenau, Dallas News, 20 Aug. 2023
Associate features director Dianna Mazzone got hive-y one weekend during this year's skin-care testing process (the culprit shall remain nameless), but this serum made her face camera-ready again by Monday.
—Liana Schaffner, Allure, 21 Sep. 2023
If dissolving into a nameless swarm sounds terrifying, don’t be scared, babygirl.
—Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
Cybercriminals often escape accountability by remaining nameless and faceless.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 30 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nameless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of nameless was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near nameless
Cite this Entry
“Nameless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nameless. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
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
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