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Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing anonymity
"I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen
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Allegiant
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"The school owner has been detained," the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to media.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
A third journalistic source for the ITN and Guardian News & Media investigation has also been granted anonymity in the current proceedings.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
A senior official at Nepal's foreign ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal was still at an early stage.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The bureau’s investigation focuses on potential money laundering and surrogacy fraud crimes, according to the two law enforcement sources, who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
User anonymity and free speech would become things of the past.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Presumably because of the libel laws, Cross confines his harsher remarks about the House of Commons to anonymities.
From Time Magazine Archive
Director Clair uses anonymities for his leads; Actor Raymond Cordy was a taxi-driver a year ago.
From Time Magazine Archive
I remember doing just the same thing once when I came home from school and had an exciting story to tell, with preservation of anonymities.
From New Grub Street by George Gissing
Down in the tanks inside the hull were a few luckless anonymities with search-lights, put there to watch for leaks from loose rivet-heads.
From The Cup of Fury A Novel of Cities and Shipyards by Henry Raleigh
The thought of these poor anonymities frightened her.
From The Cup of Fury A Novel of Cities and Shipyards by Henry Raleigh
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
