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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:
"She seemed to work a lot," commented another neighbor, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not permitted to speak to the press.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 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
I had re-upped my anonymity settings, but I couldn’t be absolutely certain the Recluse wasn’t watching me.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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
He stood behind a steel network of banks and lawyers and anonymities, unreachable.
From The Secret House by Edgar Wallace
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 Wallace Smith
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 Edmund Gosse
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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.
