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

Some anonymous electronic musicians, like Burial or the dub-techno artists on Chain Reaction, took a step back from the spotlight in service of letting their work stand on its own. — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026

West, founded in 1908, spent much of its first century yo-yoing up and down the standings of amateur leagues on anonymous fields around south Manchester. — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026

West Virginia University Police issued a warning after multiple anonymous reports of alleged hazing involving at least two on-campus fraternity sites, the university announced on Tuesday. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

But anonymous Telegram channels claiming to be fact-checking organizations gained popularity and spread the false narrative there. — RenÉe Diresta, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 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