anonymity

American  

[an-uh-nim-i-tee] / ˌæn əˈnɪm ɪ ti /

noun

anonymities plural

1. the state or quality of being anonymous.

2. an anonymous person.

   some fine poetry attributed to anonymities.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonanonymity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anonymities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anonymity

First recorded in 1810–20; anonym(ous) + -ity, or from French anonymité

Explanation

If you want a little bit of invisibility, you might seek anonymity, or being anonymous and nameless. He was a very wealthy man, and he gave most of his money away with quiet anonymity, so no one knew who was helping. The noun anonymity comes from a Greek word meaning "without a name." If you have anonymity, you have namelessness, and people will not know who you are. Some words that are the opposite of anonymity are "celebrity" and "fame." Sometimes people request anonymity, as in "he phoned the police to report the break-in across the street but requested anonymity so the burglars wouldn't know who turned them in."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anonymity anonymities

"We want to go beyond personal relationships so that the relationship becomes more institutionally based and can outlast changes in government," the source said on condition of anonymity.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

The roughly 2,800-square-foot unit is located at 160 Leroy Street, which draws buyers looking for anonymity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal matters, said the proposal was floated at a senior staff meeting last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

They were a way of asking whether hospitality could survive anonymity — or whether the quality of a restaurant changed the moment power entered the dining room.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

For one Hearst Metro- tone newsreel he sat in his office, young inmates around him wearing masks to preserve their anonymity.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Director Clair uses anonymities for his leads; Actor Raymond Cordy was a taxi-driver a year ago.

From Time Magazine Archive

Presumably because of the libel laws, Cross confines his harsher remarks about the House of Commons to anonymities.

From Time Magazine Archive

I am not quite so pleased to get these anonymities, I must confess, as I am to get a clean, tall editio princeps of The Orphan or of Love for Love.

From Gossip in a Library by Gosse, Edmund

The thought of these poor anonymities frightened her.

From The Cup of Fury A Novel of Cities and Shipyards by Raleigh, Henry

It is the rendezvous of expiring illusions, the gathering place of the anonymities which utilize man, beasts and plants.

From Fantazius Mallare A Mysterious Oath by Smith, Wallace