renowned
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- renownedly adverb
- renownedness noun
- unrenowned adjective
Etymology
Origin of renowned
Compare meaning
How does renowned compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Celebrated, gushed over, and even legendary, something that's renowned is really famous. If you not only find a cure for cancer, but you also go on lots of talk shows so everyone knows who you are, then you'll be a renowned scientist. Renown comes from the Anglo-Norman for "re-name," as in repeatedly name, so something renowned is something that people are talking about, or naming, over and over. If you are a huge celebrity, people from your home town might boast, "The renowned Madame X was born here." Something renowned is really good, not just famous. Just because you make the cover of a trashy tabloid magazine doesn't mean you're a renowned actress. But if you win an Oscar, you are.
Vocabulary lists containing renowned
More Positive Words to Describe a Person
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We had planned to visit one of the city’s renowned art museums, but instead opted for a ramble through the Dorsoduro district.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Within months the soldiers were building their own drones and attaching munitions, and soon became renowned as 414th Brigade, the Birds of Magyar.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
The renowned piano company was founded in 1853 and moved to its present site in the 1870s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
Apple is renowned for moving slowly and strategically - and this has paid vast dividends so far when it comes to its gadgets.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Since he had started at the paper in 1910, Brougham had become something of a local legend, renowned for his uncanny ability to extract information from storied figures like Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
