anonymous
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- + -nym + -ous.
Pronunciation
Adjective
anonymous (comparative more anonymous, superlative most anonymous)
- (not comparable) Lacking a name; not named, for example an animal not assigned to any species.
- Synonym: nameless
- (not comparable) Without any name acknowledged of a person responsible
- an anonymous pamphlet
- an anonymous subscription
- anonymous author
- (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.
- (comparable, figurative) Lacking individuality.
- an anonymous office block in a soulless industrial estate
- Synonym: faceless
Synonyms
- (without consideration of prestige or background): on the merits
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
wanting a name, not named and determined
|
without any name (of responsible agent) acknowledged
|
of unknown name; whose name is withheld
|
lacking individuality
without consideration of prestige, title, rank or background
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See also
References
- “anonymous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “anonymous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms suffixed with -ous
- English terms prefixed with an-
- English terms suffixed with -nym
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɒnəməs
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations