anonymize

A1N1O1N1Y4M3I1Z10E1
/əˈnɒ.nɪ.maɪz/

verb

To make or render anonymous (especially to remove personally identifying data).

Similar
deidentifydepersonalize
OriginEnglish anonym(ous) ← Late Latin anonymus ← Ancient Greek ἀνώνυμος (anṓnumos) →
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Meanings

verbanonymize (third-person singular simple present anonymizes, present participle anonymizing, simple past and past participle anonymized)

present singular third person anonymizes · participle present anonymizing · participle past anonymized · past anonymized · alternative UK anonymise

  1. transitiveTo make or render anonymous (especially to remove personally identifying data).

    This institutional and research caution is partly due to the fact that oral data is harder to anonymise than written data[.]

    2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 11

    Synonyms: deidentify, depersonalize

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo make or render anonymous (especially to remove personally identifying data).

Similar
deidentifydepersonalize

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*ə-
  4. Ancient Greekἀν- (an-)
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₁nómn̥
  6. Proto-Hellenic*ónomə
  7. Ancient Greekὄνυμα (ónuma)
  8. Ancient Greekἀνώνυμος (anṓnumos)
  9. Late Latinanonymus
  10. Englishanonym(ous)
  11. Englishanonymize

From anonym(ous) + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan anonimitzar
  • anonimitzarmake or render anonymous
Czech anonymizovat
  • anonymizovatmake or render anonymous
Dutch anonimiseren
  • anonimiserenmake or render anonymous
French anonymiser
  • anonymisermake or render anonymous
German anonymisieren
  • anonymisierenmake or render anonymous
Irish anaithnid
  • anaithnidmake or render anonymous
Italian anonimizzare
  • anonimizzaremake or render anonymous
Portuguese anonimizar
  • anonimizarmake or render anonymous
Spanish anonimizar
  • anonimizarmake or render anonymous
Swedish anonymisera
  • anonymiseramake or render anonymous
Cite this entry
APA

anonymize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anonymize

MLA

“anonymize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anonymize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anonymize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anonymize.

Source: anonymize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.