anonymous

B2 Topic:People & Society

Also spelled nonnamous

US /əˈnɑ.nə.məs/ UK /əˈnɒn.ə.məs/ See IPA manual

Freq #4655

Meanings

1

adj
With a name that is not known or not made public.

The newspaper received an anonymous letter accusing the mayor.
2

adj
Lacking any special or interesting character; dull and ordinary.

The office was in an anonymous grey building on the edge of town.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · with a name that is not... unidentified unknown unnamed nameless

2 adj · lacking any special or... faceless

Opposites

onymous

Word family

Derived forms anon anonymanonymouseanonymously anonymousnessnonanonymous

Related forms anomiaanonymalanonymityanonymizeanonymositypseudonymousunknown

Etymology

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.

anonymus Latin ᾰ̓νώνῠμος Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

External links

# anonymous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /əˈnɑ.nə.məs/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈnɒn.ə.məs/
**Frequency rank:** 4655

## Meanings
1. With a name that is not known or not made public.
2. Lacking any special or interesting character; dull and ordinary.

## Examples
- The newspaper received an anonymous letter accusing the mayor.
- The office was in an anonymous grey building on the edge of town.

## Antonyms
- onymous

## Derived Forms
- anon
- anonym
- anonymouse
- anonymously
- anonymousness
- nonanonymous

## Related Forms
- anomia
- anonymal
- anonymity
- anonymize
- anonymosity
- pseudonymous
- unknown

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: anonymus
- Root: ᾰ̓νώνῠμος
- Affix: an- - not

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
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 plus -ous, with the full formation an- plus -onym plus -ous. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- People & Society

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anonymous

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