Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nameless

/nˈeɪmləs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English

Syllables: name-less
IPA: /nˈeɪmləs/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Not having a name.

adj

Whose name is unknown; unidentified or obscured.

adj

Unable to be described or expressed.

adj

Dated

adj

Not well-known; not having made a name for oneself.

noun

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Environmental DNA analysis suggests that the number of species of bacteria that remain nameless to date may well be on the order of many thousands."
"The culprits shall remain nameless here, as some names have been changed to protect the guilty; just don't let it happen again."
"Victims of rug pulls are often left with little recourse against nameless thieves."
"a nameless unease"
"a nameless fear"
"Minute grew into minute, and still there was no sign of life, nor did the curtain move; but I felt the gaze of the unknown being sinking through and through me, and filling me with a nameless terror, till the perspiration stood in beads upon my brow."

Etymology

From Middle English nameles, equivalent to name + -less. Cognate with Dutch naamloos (“nameless”), German namenlos (“nameless”), Danish navnløs (“nameless”), Swedish namnlös (“nameless”), Icelandic nafnlaus (“nameless, anonymous”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: nameles
Suffix: name

Usage

Inflected Forms

nameles (alternative, obsolete) the nameless (canonical)

Derived Forms

namelessly namelessness

Phrases

nameless bee disease nameless finger Christian-nameless first-nameless given-nameless last-nameless middle-nameless no-name

Frequently Paired Words

Christian-nameless first-nameless given-nameless innominate last-nameless middle-nameless no-name

Synonyms

unnamed anonymous deidentified arcane cryptic enigmatic ill-defined inenubilable mysterial mysterioso mysterious mystic

Rhymes With

shameless blameless aimless

Questions

How do you pronounce nameless?: The recorded pronunciation is /nˈeɪmləs/.
What does nameless mean?: Not having a name.
Where does nameless come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nameless

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nameless”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/nˈeɪmləs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nameless”.
Repeat and practice — Say “nameless” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.