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Which prison island became notorious for holding some of America's most dangerous criminals?

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notorious

American  

[noh-tawr-ee-uhs, nuh-] / noʊˈtɔr i əs, nə- /

adjective

1. 

   widely and unfavorably known.

   a notorious gambler.

   Synonyms:

   disreputable, flagrant, arrant, egregious, ill-famed, infamous

2. publicly or generally known, as for a particular trait.

   a newspaper that is notorious for its sensationalism.

   Synonyms:

   famous, conspicuous, prominent, celebrated, renowned, notable

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notorious British  

/ nəʊˈtɔːrɪəs /

adjective

1. well-known for some bad or unfavourable quality, deed, etc; infamous

2. rare generally known or widely acknowledged

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Usage

What does notorious mean? Notorious most commonly means famous or well-known for a negative reason. The word is especially used to describe people who are widely known and viewed unfavorably for their actions, such as notorious criminals. It can also be applied to events, as in a notorious scandal. This sense of notorious is often used interchangeably with the word infamous. Strictly speaking, infamous means having, deserving, or resulting in a bad or evil reputation, while notorious usually implies that a person is both famous and disliked. Still, they usually mean just about the same thing. Notorious can also mean known for a particular trait or action, not necessarily a bad one. For example, you might be notorious for wearing the same outfit every Friday, or your aunt might be notorious for arriving late to family events. The state or quality of being notorious is notoriety. Example: The island prison known as Alcatraz was known for holding some of America’s most notorious criminals.

Other Word Forms

• notoriety
  noun
• notoriousness
  noun
• notoriously
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of notorious

First recorded in 1540–50; from Medieval Latin nōtōrius “well known, public,” from Late Latin nōtōria “a notice, news, intelligence” and nōtōrium “indictment, (criminal) charge,” equivalent to nō(scere) “to get to know” + -tōrius adjective suffix; see notify, -tory ¹

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Explanation

Use the adjective notorious to describe people, places, or things that are famous for a bad reason. A good synonym for notorious is infamous; both words mean "well-known, and not in a good way." A celebrity convicted of a series of crimes might be referred to as notorious, as might a book that has been banned in several countries. The word originally meant just "famous" and could carry either positive or negative connotations. Only in recent centuries did the negative uses start to outweigh the positive ones. In general, you'd rather be famous than notorious — unless you're looking to build a bad reputation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

notorious

Then there is Stephen Miller, the notorious senior adviser of everything.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

His proposed solution is “radical transparency” — a familiar Silicon Valley mantra with an ironic resonance given Theranos’ notorious culture of secrecy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

For several days this summer the Albanian city of Elbasan choked in a dense cloud of stinging smoke coming from the direction of its notorious steelworks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Steinbrenner countered by hiring Roy Cohn—lawyer, notorious fixer and another mentor to Mr. Trump—to dig into Mr. Winfield’s charity, and Howard Spira—a former FBI mob informant—to dig up dirt on Mr. Winfield.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Night pixies are notorious liars!” he stammered out, his face tomato red.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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Related Words

• blatant
• flagrant
• infamous
• prominent
• well-known

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