anonym
Americannoun
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a less common word for pseudonym
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an anonymous person or publication
Usage
What is an anonym? An anonym is a false or fictitious name, especially one used by a person so they can remain anonymous. The word anonym is rarely used. A much more common synonym of anonym is pseudonym. (That’s a lot of -nyms—more about that in the next section.)Anonyms can be used for a number of reasons. In legal proceedings, the anonyms John Doe, Jane Doe, Richard Roe, and Jane Roe are used in cases when a person’s name is unknown or is being kept anonymous. They are also sometimes used in medicine for a patient whose name is not known. There are many reasons an author may choose to use an anonym instead of their own name, such as to avoid controversy or to create a persona. When an author uses an anonym, it is more often called a pen name, a nom de plume, or a pseudonym. The word anonym can also refer to an anonymous person or an anonymous publication. Example: A lot of people use anonyms when posting controversial opinions online.
Etymology
Origin of anonym
1805–15; < French anonyme < Greek anṓnymos anonymous
Explanation
An anonym is a fake name someone uses in place of their real one. Samuel Clemens famously published books including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using the anonym Mark Twain. You can use anonym to mean "pseudonym" or "alias," when you say things like "No one knows who Elena Ferrante really is — it's an anonym." The word can also describe a person who goes by a false name: "We have no idea who painted this mural, because it was done by an anonym over the weekend." This meaning, "nameless person," is the original one, derived from the Greek anonymos, "without a name."
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.
The Federalist, a series of essays churned out for New York newspapers under the group anonym "Publius," was frankly designed as propaganda and used to persuade doubters in state conventions to ratify the nascent Constitution.
From Time Magazine Archive
He must have a "passion for anonym ity."
From Time Magazine Archive
In a race of unknown men, he is an especial anonym.
From Time Magazine Archive
Although to buffet an anonym is to beat the air, still the very effort does good.
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 16 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Thus buried under an anonym, and gravitating at all points toward mediocrity, it is odd that so much interest should centre in his life and works as we actually find to exist.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. July, 1877. by Various
Definitions 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.
