nameless

[neym-lis]

adjective

1. having no name.

2. left unnamed.

   a certain person who shall be nameless.

3. anonymous.

   a nameless source of information.

4. incapable of being specified or described.

   a nameless charm.

5. too shocking or vile to be specified.

   a nameless crime.

6. having no legitimate paternal name, as a child born out of wedlock.

7. unknown to fame; obscure.

   a nameless poet; nameless defenders of the country.

nameless

/ ˈneɪmlɪs /

adjective

1. without a name; anonymous

2. incapable of being named; indescribable

   a nameless horror seized him

3. too unpleasant or disturbing to be mentioned

   nameless atrocities

4. having no legal name; illegitimate

   a nameless child

Other Word Forms

• namelessly adverb
• namelessness noun
• quasi-nameless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nameless¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; name, -less

Example Sentences

Her book tells a story that transcends generations and borders, sending a quiet but warm message to countless nameless readers around the world.

Read more on BBC

Rilke described these memories as those having “turned to blood within us, to glance and gesture, nameless and no longer to be distinguished from ourselves.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Receptive to tenderness but prone to violence, the nameless Creature now has, in Elordi, a performer suited for all its unruly emotions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When officers cover their faces and demand to be nameless and faceless, “They are terrorizing ... with something just as simple as a mask,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“There’s a lot of respect for her taking on the challenge of cleaning up Biden’s mess in 2024,” said the strategist, who asked to remain nameless to avoid compromising an as-yet-unannounced candidate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• unheard-of 
• unnamed 

When To Use

What does nameless mean?

Nameless means having no name, as in Emily Dickensen’s poems are all nameless, so we refer to them by their first lines instead.Nameless also means anonymous, as in Journalists sometimes use nameless sources of information in order to get the details they need for their stories.You might use nameless to describe something incapable of being described, such as a nameless charm.Example: A nameless writer created one of the world’s most well-known proverbs.