anonymous

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See also: Anonymous

English

Etymology

Borrowed into English around 1600 from Late Latin anonymus, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νώνῠμος (anṓnumos, without name), from ᾰ̓ν- (an-, un-) with ὄνῠμᾰ (ónuma), Aeolic and Doric dialectal form of ὄνομᾰ (ónoma, name). English equivalent anonym +‎ -ous, its full etymology being an- +‎ -onym +‎ -ous.

Pronunciation

Adjective

anonymous (comparative more anonymous, superlative most anonymous)

  1. (not comparable) Lacking a name; not named, for example an animal not assigned to any species.
    Synonym: nameless
    Coordinate term: no-name
  2. (not comparable) Without any name acknowledged of a person responsible
    an anonymous pamphlet
    an anonymous subscription
    anonymous author
  3. (not comparable) Of unknown name; whose name is withheld
    Synonyms: unidentified, unknown, unnamed
    an anonymous author
    an anonymous benefactor
    No customer personal data will be retained unless it is rendered anonymous.
    • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:
      The shift in the balance of power online has allowed anyone to publish to the world, from dispirited teenagers in south London to an anonymous cyber-dissident in a Middle East autocracy.
  4. (comparable, figurative) Lacking individuality.
    Synonym: faceless
    an anonymous office block in a soulless industrial estate

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Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

References