Meaning & use
anonymised
Last updated
“anonymised” is a form of “anonymise”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveBritish
Past tense of anonymise: removed names or identifying details from information so no one can be recognized.
Grammar: Takes an object: anonymise the records. The British -ise spelling becomes -ised in the past.
Patterns
- anonymise data
- anonymise records
- anonymise something before sharing it
The hospital anonymised the patient records before the study.
They anonymised the survey responses to protect privacy.
All interviews were anonymised before publication.
adjectivebefore a nounBritish
Having had names or identifying details removed.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'anonymised data'; it describes the result of the action.
Patterns
- anonymised data
- anonymised version
The researchers shared only anonymised data.
We published an anonymised version of the report.
Word forms
| base form | anonymise |
|---|---|
| third person singular | anonymises |
| past tense | anonymised |
| past participle | anonymised |
| -ing form | anonymising |
Common combinations
- anonymised data
- The company stores only anonymised data.
- fully anonymised
- The dataset is fully anonymised.
- anonymised records
- Anonymised records can still be useful for research.
- anonymise information
- We must anonymise information before releasing it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- de-identified
- Common in US medical and research writing; it means much the same but stresses removing identifiers.
- redacted
- Means parts were blacked out or removed, often without changing the whole document.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: anonymised or anonymized?
anonymised vs anonymized
The American spelling with z; the meaning is the same, so pick one spelling and keep it consistent.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'anonymised' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Anonymised' is the past tense of a transitive verb, so it needs an object like 'the survey data'. Options 2 and 4 use it as an intransitive or adjective of feeling, and option 3 treats it as a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anonymised”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.