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View synonyms for

infamous

[ in-fuh-muhs ]

adjective

  1. having an extremely bad reputation:

    an infamous city.

    Synonyms: , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. deserving of or causing an evil reputation; shamefully malign; detestable:

    an infamous deed.

    Synonyms: , , , , , , , , ,

    Antonyms: ,

  3. Law.
    1. deprived of certain rights as a citizen, as a consequence of conviction of certain offenses.
    2. of or relating to offenses involving such deprivation.


infamous

/ ˈɪԴəə /

adjective

  1. having a bad reputation; notorious
  2. causing or deserving a bad reputation; shocking

    infamous conduct

  3. criminal law formerly
    1. (of a person) deprived of certain rights of citizenship on conviction of certain offences
    2. (of a crime or punishment) entailing such deprivation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԴڲdzܲԱ, noun
  • ˈԴڲdzܲ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • f·dzܲ· adverb
  • f·dzܲ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of infamous1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin Դ峾() ( infamy ) + -ous
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Nor is he alone in his criticism of Powell, who infamously initially dismissed post-pandemic price inflation as "transitory" and has been faulted for being too focused on backward-looking data.

From

In an infamous case of mistaken arrest, a Canadian citizen named Maher Arar was detained by the FBI at JFK Airport in New York while on his way home from a vacation in Tunisia.

From

The Trump administration reportedly is planning a new edition of the infamous Muslim ban, which resulted in chaos at airports, protests and lawsuits during Trump’s first term.

From

Below California’s famed beaches, mountains and metropolitan areas lies a sinister web of earthquake faults — some so infamous that their names are burned into the state’s collective consciousness.

From

Navarro was the author of the infamous equation that set so-called reciprocal tariff rates in proportion to the size of a country's trade surplus with the US, calling it "the sum of all cheating".

From

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More About Infamous

doesinfamous mean?

Infamous means having, deserving, or resulting in a bad or evil reputation.

The word is typically used to describe people, actions, and events. It’s especially used in the context of violent crimes, scandals, and tragedies.

Infamous is often used interchangeably with the word notorious, which most commonly means famous or well-known for a negative reason.

But infamous is also sometimes used in a more general way to describe things, such as behavior, as shameful, shocking, detestable, vile, heinous, or scandalous.

The state of quality of being infamous is infamy.

Example: The infamous bank robber was known for setting fire to the crime scene while making his escape.

Where doesinfamous come from?

The first records of the word infamous come from the 1300s. It comes from the Latin Դ峾(), meaning “ill-famed” or “of evil repute.” At the root of infamous is the Latin fāma, which means “fame” and is also the basis of that word. The suffix -ous means “possessing” or “full of” and is used to form adjectives.

Like notorious, infamous implies a sense of fame—and not for something good. When a person is labeled as infamous, it usually means that they have done something (usually something very bad) to bring them infamy—an extremely bad reputation. Often, the worse the thing is, the more infamous the person is. The word can also be applied to actions, events, or places where bad things happened.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to infamous?

  • infamously (adverb)
  • infamousness (noun)
  • infamy (noun)

are some synonyms for infamous?

are some words that share a root or word element with infamous?

are some words that often get used in discussing infamous?

How isinfamous used in real life?

Infamous is always used negatively. It can be used to describe a person, action, event, or place. It’s especially used in the context of crimes or other serious wrongdoing.

Try usinginfamous!

Is infamous used correctly in the following sentence?

The author became infamous for her extremely controversial novel.

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