famed
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- overfamed adjective
Etymology
Origin of famed
Explanation
Something that's famed is very well-known, or famous. Your dad's famed brownies are the highlight of every bake sale in town. The adjective famed basically means "renowned." In other words, something that's famed is famous, usually for its excellence. If a book is famed, it's either a bestseller or a classic, and if your English teacher is famed, it's probably hard to get into her classes because everyone wants to take them. The 16th century meaning of famed was "much talked about," from the now-obsolete verb fame, "spread abroad or report."
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.
The famed Frostproof, Florida, was once the seat of the Ben Hill Griffin empire.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Before Artemis II, the United States hadn't sent astronauts around the Moon since 1972 for the Apollo 17 mission -- the last of that famed space program that saw humans walk on the lunar surface.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
While the world number one could not add to the tally, he largely demonstrated the consistency for which is he famed to eke out a solid, if unspectacular 70.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Upon the famed painter’s demise, the siblings imagine, the paintings will be “discovered.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
In the 1970s, the famed Tyrolean alpinist Reinhold Messner emerged as the leading proponent of gasless climbing, declaring that he would ascend Everest “by fair means” or not at all.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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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.