incognito

[in-kog-nee-toh, in-kog-ni-toh]

adjective

1. having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name, especially to avoid notice or formal attentions.

   Synonyms: unidentified, undisclosed

adverb

1. with the real identity concealed.

   to travel incognito.

noun

plural

incognitos 

1. a person who is incognito.

2. the state of being incognito.

3. the disguise or character assumed by an incognito.

incognito

/ ɪnˈkɒɡnɪtəʊ, ˌɪnkɒɡˈniːtəʊ /

adverb

1. under an assumed name or appearance; in disguise

noun

1. a person who is incognito

2. the assumed name or disguise of such a person

Word History and Origins

Origin of incognito¹

First recorded in 1630–40; from Italian, from Latin incognitus “unknown,” from in- in- ³ + cognitus “known” (past participle of cognōscere “to get to know”; cognition )

Word History and Origins

Origin of incognito¹

C17: from Italian, from Latin incognitus unknown, from _in- ¹ + cognitus known

Example Sentences

"I'm afraid that if I'm walking, I will be approached by agents in incognito clothes and plain disguise," he continued.

From BBC

The self-effacing Tunney wasn’t incognito to a lot of his students.

From Los Angeles Times

All cancers -- particularly immune-silent, fast-growing cancers like glioblastoma -- produce signals called antigens that scientists can use in immune therapies to manually alert the immune system to the presence of incognito cancers.

From Science Daily

He lived incognito in Germany after the end of World War Two and fled to Argentina in 1950.

From BBC

Unbeknownst to us though, the real Chalamet, incognito in a mask and baseball hat, slithers through the crowd like an undetected chosen one, or like his character, Lisan al Gaib in “Dune.”

From Salon