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
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
Page Six offered conflicting accounts from anonymous sources as to Vrabel and Russini's time together at the hotel.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
In 2021, a massive online database apparently containing the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens was left unsecured and publicly accessible for more than a year until an anonymous user in a hacker forum offered to sell the data and brought it to wider attention in 2022.
—Isaac Yee, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Anyone who was in the area at the time and heard or saw anything is asked to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
According to Visit Detroit, the Guide's anonymous inspectors have already been out making dinner reservations and scouting restaurants throughout Metro Detroit.
—Jeffrey Popovich, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anonymous
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Doha Madani, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
In 2021, a massive online database apparently containing the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens was left unsecured and publicly accessible for more than a year until an anonymous user in a hacker forum offered to sell the data and brought it to wider attention in 2022.
—Isaac Yee, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Anyone who was in the area at the time and heard or saw anything is asked to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
According to Visit Detroit, the Guide's anonymous inspectors have already been out making dinner reservations and scouting restaurants throughout Metro Detroit.
—Jeffrey Popovich, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anonymous
Cite this Entry
“Anonymous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymous. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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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