notorious

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(nō-tôr'ē-əs, -tōr'-) pronunciation
adj.
Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous: a notorious gangster; a district notorious for vice.

[From Medieval Latin nōtōrius, well-known, from Latin nōtus, known, past participle of nōscere, to get to know.]

notoriously no·to'ri·ous·ly adv.
notoriousness no·to'ri·ous·ness n.

Fowler's Modern English Usage:

notorious, infamous

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Both words refer to fame achieved by means that are disapproved of, but notorious stresses the fame achieved whereas infamous is more concerned with the nature of the act:
A notorious property developer...was spooning sago pudding into his face—D. Jordan, 1973
The scene of one of Drachenfels' most infamous atrocities, this chamber has been shunned by most of the few who have penetrated the Castle—C. Sargent, 1992.

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adjective

  1. Known widely and unfavorably: common, infamous. See knowledge/ignorance.
  2. Widely known and discussed: famed, famous, leading, popular, well-known. See knowledge/ignorance.

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adj

Definition: known for
Antonyms: anonymous, unknown

Word Tutor:

notorious

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Unfavorably famous.

pronunciation The Who are notorious for smashing guitars on stage during performances.

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categories related to 'notorious'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to notorious, see:

Translations:

Notorious

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - almindelig kendt, berygtet, notorisk

Nederlands (Dutch)
berucht

Français (French)
adj. - notoire, mal famé, connu, célèbre, fameux

Deutsch (German)
adj. - berüchtigt, notorisch, allbekannt

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - διαβόητος, περιβόητος, πασίγνωστος

Italiano (Italian)
notorio

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - notório, desacreditado

Русский (Russian)
пресловутый

Español (Spanish)
adj. - muy conocido, notorio, famoso, de mala fama, escandaloso

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - ökänd, allmänt känd

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
声名狼藉的, 众人皆知的, 恶名昭张的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 聲名狼藉的, 眾人皆知的, 惡名昭張的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - (나쁜 의미로)유명한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 有名な, よく知られた, 周知の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) سيء السمعه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮ידוע (לשמצה), מפורסם‬


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