ENGLISH
REFERENCE

anonymous

adj.
US //əˈnɑnəməs// UK //ɐnˈɒnəməs// anony·mous
  1. 1 name not known or shared (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    having a name that is not known or is not made public.

    of unknown or undisclosed authorship or identity. Often used when a person chooses to hide their name for privacy or safety.

    Example

    The police received an anonymous tip about the robbery from a caller who refused to give their name.

    Example

    The museum received a significant donation from an anonymous benefactor who requested that their identity remain confidential for tax purposes.

    Usage

    Usually placed before the noun it describes.
  2. 2 lacking character (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    having no special features or character, making it look like everything else.

    lacking individual features or distinctive character; unremarkable and easily forgotten.

    Example

    The company moved into an anonymous grey office building in the middle of the city.

    Example

    The suburbs were filled with anonymous housing developments that lacked any sense of local history or architectural charm.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is more abstract; it suggests that something is so plain that it has no 'identity' of its own.
Origin

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

Word family

© 2026 English Reference