anonymize

American  

[uh-non-uh-mahyz] / əˈnɒn əˌmaɪz /

especially British, anonymise

verb (used with object)

anonymized, anonymizing

1. to block or eliminate identifying information from (test results, data, authorship, etc.), especially for purposes of statistical analysis, product appraisal, or personal privacy; to make anonymous.

   anonymizing cancer patients’ medical histories for our research files; software that helps you anonymize your online activity.

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anonymize British  

/ əˈnɒnɪˌmaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to carry out or organize in such a way as to preserve anonymity

   anonymized AIDS screening

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Other Word Forms

• anonymization noun
• anonymizer noun

Etymology

Origin of anonymize

First recorded in 1855–60 for an earlier sense; the current sense was first recorded in 1970–75; anonym(ous) ( def. ) + -ize ( def. )

Example Sentences

Cal OES would begin publishing annual reports in 2027 that anonymize and aggregate critical safety incidents it receives.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025

After commiserating with my editor later that night, we decided to anonymize their account and strip most of the identifying details out of this column.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2024

Knight says the analysis shows that the current methods microbiome researchers use to filter out human DNA and anonymize samples simply don’t work well enough.

From Science Magazine • May 15, 2023

Update, December 12, 2022: This piece has been updated to anonymize the names of two sources.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2022

Several lawyers and ethicists have suggested to me that since there is no way to anonymize HeLa cells at this point, research on them should be covered by the Common Rule.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot