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 of nameless

• unnamed
• unidentified
• anonymous

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

It isn’t hidden in an alley or obscured via a nameless door. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026

As the play’s nameless protagonist, Radcliffe has the difficult task of being both its emotional engine and its conductor, leading the laypeople through their cues. —Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026

This includes a comic scene about proofreading the monotonous legal documents that clerks like Bartleby were paid pennies to copy, and a scene at the end where a jail cook rattles off all the former occupations of its now-nameless inmates. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

In the Mojave, Weston saw Joshua trees as majestic extraterrestrials; Connell documents a nameless stump decorated with sneakers. —Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

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