anonymize
gb/ənˈɑnəmˌaɪz/ us/ənˈɑnəmˌaɪz/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
technical
C1
action
1
remove identifying details
to remove names or personal details so people cannot know who someone is
Usage pattern:
anonymize [data/documents/records/responses]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse anonymize with simply keeping something secret; it usually means removing or changing identifying details.
Synonyms
de-identify (more technical, often used for medical, legal, or research data)
|
redact (means remove or black out information, but not always enough to make something anonymous)
|
mask (means hide or replace visible details, often only partly)
Antonyms
identify (means show or discover who someone is)
|
deanonymize (means reveal the identity behind anonymous data or communication)
|
re-identify (means connect anonymized data back to a specific person)
Collocations
anonymize data
|anonymize personal information
|anonymize records
|anonymize a dataset
|anonymize survey responses
|anonymize user data
|fully anonymize
|properly anonymize
|anonymize names
|anonymize footage
Themes
privacy
|data
|technology
|law
|research
Examples
- The researchers anonymized the survey responses before sharing the results.
- Hospitals must anonymize patient records before using them in public reports.
- The platform says it anonymizes location data before selling it to advertisers.
Learner examples
- Please anonymize the names in this document.
- The company anonymized the user data.
Grammar
Dictionary form
anonymize
IPA
GB/ənˈɑnəmˌaɪz/
US/ənˈɑnəmˌaɪz/
Syllables & stress
an - onym - ize (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (onym)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: anonymize
- 3rd Person Singular: anonymizes
- Present Participle: anonymizing
- Past: anonymized
- Past Participle: anonymized
Expressions
anonymized data
1/ənˈɑnəmˌaɪzd dˈætə/
fixed phrase
technical
data without identifying details
information that has had personal details removed so it does not show who people are
Examples
- The report was based on anonymized data from thousands of app users.
- Researchers were allowed to access only anonymized data, not names or addresses.
- Even anonymized data can sometimes be re-identified if it contains enough details.