anonymous

[uh-non-uh-muh s]

See more synonyms for anonymous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

without any name acknowledged, as that of author, contributor, or the like: an anonymous letter to the editor; an anonymous donation.
of unknown name; whose name is withheld: an anonymous author.
lacking individuality, unique character, or distinction: an endless row of drab, anonymous houses.

Origin of anonymous

1595–1605; < Latin anōnymus < Greek anṓnymos, equivalent to an- an-¹ + -ōnym(a) (variant of ónyma) -onym (earlier (a)n- with vowel lengthening; cf. anopheles) + -os adj. suffix; see -ous

Related formsa·non·y·mous·ness, nouna·non·y·mous·ly, adverbnon·a·non·y·mous·ness, noun

Can be confusedanomalous anonymous euonymus unanimousanonymous pseudonymous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for anonymousness

invisibility, anonymousness

Examples from the Web for anonymousness

Historical Examples of anonymousness

I find a resistance which I did not expect to the anonymousness of the publication.
Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Vol. I (of 2)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
This train of thought terminated at last in various considerations upon the subject of anonymousness in authorship.
Pierre; or The Ambiguities
Herman Melville
We may become wise enough and well-managed enough to do without this anonymousness: we may not.
Friends in Council
Arthur Helps

British Dictionary definitions for anonymousness

anonymous

adjective

from or by a person, author, etc, whose name is unknown or withheldan anonymous letter
having no known name
lacking individual characteristics; unexceptional
(often capital) denoting an organization which provides help to applicants who remain anonymousAlcoholics Anonymous

Derived Formsanonymity (ˌænəˈnɪmɪtɪ), nounanonymously, adverbanonymousness, noun

Word Origin for anonymous

C17: via Late Latin from Greek anōnumos, from an- + onoma name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for anonymousness

anonymous

adj.

c.1600, from Late Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymos "without a name," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + onyma, Æolic dialectal form of onoma "name" (see name (n.)).