Meaning & use
pseudonymized
Last updated
“pseudonymized” is a form of “pseudonymize”.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing data in which names and other direct identifiers have been swapped for artificial codes, so people are not obvious but can still be re-identified with extra information.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: pseudonymized records; after a verb it is a passive: the data were pseudonymized.
Patterns
- pseudonymized data
- pseudonymized records
The researchers received pseudonymized patient records instead of names.
Pseudonymized data still counts as personal data under many privacy laws.
The survey results are stored in a pseudonymized form.
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of pseudonymize: to replace identifying details in data with codes.
Grammar: Takes an object: the team pseudonymized the dataset before sharing it.
Patterns
- pseudonymized something
The hospital pseudonymized the files before sending them to the lab.
Each user ID was pseudonymized using a secret key.
Common combinations
- pseudonymized data
- Pseudonymized data lowers the risk if a database is leaked.
- pseudonymized records
- The auditors reviewed only pseudonymized records.
- be pseudonymized
- All names must be pseudonymized before analysis.
- fully pseudonymized
- The dataset was fully pseudonymized with random identifiers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- de-identified
- De-identified is a broader term for any removal of identifiers, while pseudonymized means a reversible substitution with codes.
- coded
- Coded is the everyday word in research for records labeled with codes, and is less tied to legal definitions.
- anonymized
- Anonymized implies identity cannot be recovered, so it is stronger than pseudonymized.
Opposites
Word family
- pseudonymize verb
- to replace identifiers with codes
- pseudonymization noun
- the process of doing this
- pseudonym noun
- a false name used instead of a real one
- pseudonymous adjective
- using or written under a false name
Commonly confused: pseudonymized or anonymized?
pseudonymized vs anonymized
Anonymized data cannot be traced back to a person, whereas pseudonymized data can be if the key is available.
Practice
A clinic replaces patients' names with random codes but keeps a secret table linking codes to names. The data is best described as ___.
Choose one answer.
Because the table allows re-identification, the data is pseudonymized. Anonymized would mean the link is gone for good.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pseudonymized”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.