well-known
Americanadjective
-
clearly or fully known.
The well-known reasons are obvious.
-
generally or widely known.
a well-known painting.
- Synonyms:
- celebrated, noted, famous, prominent
adjective
-
widely known; famous; celebrated
-
known fully or clearly
Etymology
Origin of well-known
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75
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.
Instead of canceling each other out, Wes Crill, a senior investment executive at Dimensional Fund Advisors, found that three well-known drivers of extra returns more or less stacked up, producing a truly wonderful outcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"While two well-known bacterial pathogens dominated the known disease profile, we also detected a surprisingly high level of another group of bacteria that has not previously been linked to the mushroom disease."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who promised to freeze rent during his campaign, is the most well-known in this category, and there have been wins for renter-candidates in cities like Cambridge, Mass., and Seattle.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
This is something that is very well-known in administrative law and in economics—this concept of agency capture or regulatory capture.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Below are some examples of preparations to sing a few well-known songs.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
