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
William Styron
anonymousness
noun
Synonyms
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
Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid has made the first contact necessary to sound out a potential transfer involving Atalanta's Brazilian powerhouse Ederson according to AS, which cited anonymous sources.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
After confirming the details from the anonymous call, the case was sent to university police for investigation, the spokesperson said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Making the budget work required pulling the most out of some largely anonymous figures.
—Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Ash, who asked to keep her last name anonymous, posted a hilarious—and slightly creepy—TikTok video (@atmrw) of her 2-year-old rocking back and forth on the toy horse in his parents' bedroom.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for anonymous 
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Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
After confirming the details from the anonymous call, the case was sent to university police for investigation, the spokesperson said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Making the budget work required pulling the most out of some largely anonymous figures.
—Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Ash, who asked to keep her last name anonymous, posted a hilarious—and slightly creepy—TikTok video (@atmrw) of her 2-year-old rocking back and forth on the toy horse in his parents' bedroom.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for anonymous
Articles Related to anonymous
Dictionary Entries Near anonymous
Cite this Entry
“Anonymous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymous. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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