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anonymous Definition

anony·mous (ə nän′ə məs)

adjective

  1. with no name known or acknowledged
  2. given, written, etc. by a person whose name is withheld or unknown
  3. not easily distinguished from others or from one another because of a lack of individual features or character

Etymology: LL anonymus < Gr anōnymos < an-, without + onyma, name

anonymous Related Forms

anon′y·mously adverb

anonymous Synonyms

anonymous

modif.

unsigned, nameless, unknown, unacknowledged, uncredited, pseudonymous, unnamed, authorless, unavowed, unclaimed, unidentified, secret, with the name withheld, of unknown authorship, without a name, bearing no name, incognito, anon., faceless., undifferentiated., indistinguishable., nondescript. .

Antonyms named*, signed*, acknowledged.

Anonymous Hacker Definition

Computer crackers commonly attempt to exploit a computer system by sending messages in an anonymous fashion—protecting their identity from being disclosed. Anonymous accounts are used widely to access information and software-sharing systems on computers mainly using the FTP. The user accesses the systems by utilizing a user name of “anonymous” or “guest” without a password.

See Also: Computer; Crackers; File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

anonymous Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • totally: Frazer Richardson did put in a decent cross for Spring's equalizer but was otherwise totally anonymous - almost as much as Ian Moore.
  • completely: All calls and emails to us are completely anonymous.
  • largely: World Cup Side - Russia had some talented players but were doomed to have a largely anonymous campaign.
  • entirely: Completion of the questionnaire is entirely anonymous and will take only a minute or two of your time.
  • strictly: Method of submission: Abstracts, in English or in French, should be strictly anonymous and should contain no more than 1.000 words.
  • fairly: The first 20 minutes seemed to be made up of fairly anonymous reportage.

Preposition: on

request: We make no guarantees about answers, but you can be anonymous on request.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

keep: It is also possible to keep the respondents anonymous.

Modifies a noun

  • ftp: Added a mention of how to get the course via anonymous ftp.
  • donor: There are also two Action Zones in Wales funded by an anonymous donor.
  • reviewer: We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
  • benefactor: An anonymous benefactor has recently undertaken to swell the funds available.
  • subroutine: In place of a SUBNAME, you can provide a BLOCK as an anonymous, in-line sort subroutine.
  • referee: The author is also grateful to the anonymous referees for helpful comments.

Used with adjective complement

  • remain: A UCL student who asked to remain anonymous said, What do you expect?
  • stay: Always stay anonymous, using a nickname all the time.
  • render: Where reports are required for statistical purposes the data must be rendered anonymous.
  • keep: Papers are usually sent to three or more reviewers, who are kept anonymous.
  • become: There is much less support; student groups tend to be larger and individuals can become anonymous.
  • make: At no time do the mentee and mentor meet and all correspondence is made anonymous.