nameless

adjective

name·​less ˈnām-ləs How to pronounce nameless (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The climax, in which Dwight and his crew beat a group of nameless Chinese immigrant thugs into submission after they’re used as cannon fodder by Cal Thresher to sabotage Dwight’s wind turbines, is more important to the plot and even uglier. Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024 The irony here is that Starks’ tracks are nameless just like many vaporwave artists are anonymous. Ade D. Adeniji, WIRED, 17 Sep. 2024 In the novel, the factory workers are not glossed over as a nameless mass… Readers also get a glimpse of the workers’ daily existence and challenges such as housing, low wage, layoff, bad health, and debts—something uncommon in contemporary popular literature. H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 1 Nov. 2024 Harold Perrineau leads a solid cast of (mostly) likeable characters who have to survive these terrors and more, all while trying to piece together the mystery of the nameless town they’re trapped in. Erik Kain, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nameless 

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 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

nameless

adjective
name·​less ˈnām-ləs How to pronounce nameless (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on nameless

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