Anonymous meaning of word

Last Updated:
9 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

• IPA^(key): /əˈnɒnəməs/
• Rhymes: -ɒnəməs

Adjective[edit]

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

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

   • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian‎^[1]:

     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.

   No customer personal data will be retained unless it is rendered anonymous.

4. (comparable, figurative) Lacking individuality.

   an anonymous office block in a soulless industrial estate

   Synonym: faceless

Synonyms[edit]

• (without consideration of prestige or background): on the merits

Antonyms[edit]

• onymous

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• anonymous on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• John Doe
• unknown

References[edit]

• “anonymous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• anonymous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Words can evolve and change over time. It’s wise to look at the definitions of words that you already know to see if they really mean what you think they mean. You might also learn new meanings or the word’s roots. Anonymous is a familiar word, but it might be a word that means more than you know.

What Is the Meaning of Anonymous?

Anonymous is an adjective. The word anonymous (a-non-y-mous) is defined as a description of someone or something that is unknown, unidentifiable, or unrevealed. It can also be used to describe an action done by someone who is unknown.

The word anonymous (adj) is pronounced uh – non – uh – muhs. 

What Is the Origin of Anonymous?

The word anonymous in its current use and meaning dates back to the late 16th century with Indo-European roots. The –ous suffix is an English addition, and it means “full of.” The other part of the word comes from the Late Latin anonymus. 

The Late Latin anōnymus means false or fictitious name, and it comes from the Greek anṓnymos, which meant nameless. 

The Greek anṓnymos is formed from two Greek words. The Greek anōnumos is made from the word parts an– that means “without” and the Greek onyma or onoma that means “name.” This means the word could translate to mean “without name.”

It’s always interesting when a word’s history reveals that it has always had relatively the same meaning. The pronunciation may change, but the understanding of the word remains the same. A word we use today is roughly the same as a word spoken in Ancient Greece. How cool!

How Do We Use Anonymous?

Anonymous is commonly used to describe nameless acts such as an anonymous tip, an anonymous gift, or an anonymous phone call. Anonymous can describe a person with no known name.

It is also used to describe commonplace or indistinguishable objects that have no unusual characteristics that can be used to describe them such as an anonymous face or an ordinary brick building. Individual characteristics that fail to give a person a unique characterization can make it difficult to recall that person.

Anonymous still means when we don’t know the identity of someone. For example, the originator of Bitcoin is anonymous, so there’s no “Tom Brady of crypto.” This is an interesting fact of cryptocurrencies. 

Sometimes not knowing the identity of someone can feel threatening. In response to that feeling, for example, China has tightened internet censorship to ban anonymous users. This is regulated through consistent government monitoring and regular government inspections of data from internet service providers. Other countries, like Cambodia, have looked into a similar technique.

In other parts of the world, internet censorship occurs through the efforts of a pseudonymous group of internet culture cops that police the content of fellow users to have them banned or punished. It’s odd that the actions of anonymous users can result in the denial of service to others just by doing a share of the daily work of content policing.

What Is the Group Anonymous?

In recent years, anonymous has also become synonymous with the decentralized hacker group or international collective of activists. Anonymous are hacktivists that use a variety of cyberattacks against governments and government agencies by attacking government websites as what the group views as a civil service.

The group has also attacked corporations and organizations like PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and even the Church of Scientology. The Anonymous Group has anonymous members, of course. The hacks by this group are protests. In addition to protests, the group has shown support for the Occupy movement and WikiLeaks. 

The members have not all been able to maintain their anonymity. Dozens have been arrested in several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Many herald the group as digital Robin Hoods, and Anonymous was named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2012. 

What Are Synonyms of Anonymous?

Synonyms are the easiest way to deliver the same meaning at various points without using the same word repeatedly. Here are some synonyms for the word anonymous:

• Nameless
• Undisclosed
• Unattested
• Incognito
• Unidentified
• Unnamed
• Unacknowledged
• Unavowed
• Pseudo
• Pseudonymous
• Unsigned
• Secret
• Undesignated

What Are Antonyms of Anonymous?

Antonyms are a great tool for when you need to express the opposite meaning of a word. Here are a few antonyms for the word anonymous:

• Known
• Identified
• Named

Examples of Using Anonymous

Examples help us to better understand how to use words in context. Here are a few examples of using anonymous in a sentence:

• She chose to remain anonymous.
• We lived on a small street full of little brown anonymous houses.
• The donation came from an anonymous benefactor.
• I had a successful recovery thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Anonymous took credit for the website’s crash.
• An anonymous donor helped me pay for my mother’s funeral.

The Last Word

In conclusion, words like anonymous can have a variety of meanings. It’s always important to familiarize yourself with meanings, uses, and new colloquial uses of words. With the word anonymous, it’s important to educate yourself on the activities of the group using the term as their name. Hopefully now, the word anonymous means more than it did before.

Sources:

1. Anonymous Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
2. Fears Cambodia is Rolling Out China-style ‘Great Firewall’ to Curb Online Freedom | theguardian.com 
3. The Hacker Group Anonymous Returns | The Atlantic