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infamous

[ in-fuh-muhs ]

/ ˈɪn fə məs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR infamous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having an extremely bad reputation: an infamous city.

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

Law.

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

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Origin of infamous

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin infām(is) (see infamy) + -ous

SYNONYMS FOR infamous

1 disreputable, ill-famed, notorious.

2 disgraceful, scandalous; nefarious, odious, wicked, shocking, vile, base, heinous, villainous.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR infamous ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR infamous

2 praiseworthy, admirable.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR infamous ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM infamous

in·fa·mous·ly, adverbin·fa·mous·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH infamous

famous infamous notorious (see synonym study at famous)

Words nearby infamous

infallibilism, infallibility, infallibility, papal, infallible, infamize, infamous, infamy, infancy, infant, infant apnea, infant mortality rate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for infamous

The main effort in the attack was carried out by the infamous Waffen SS 6th Panzer Army.
Hitler’s Hail Mary|James A. Warren|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Do they not recall the appalling ramifications of the infamous moment when Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen in 2009?
LeBron's Touchy Feely Protocol Breach|Tom Sykes|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most infamous case was that of Kanae Kijima, a onetime housekeeper who became a highly paid mistress.
Beware of Japan’s “Black Widows”|Jake Adelstein|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reality star bared her infamous behind on the cover of Paper magazine, and the web went wild.
Kim Kardashian Bares Her Shiny, Bounteous Butt, Breaks the Internet|Marlow Stern|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One possible solution to the breast shortage is the infamous Venezuelan border with Colombia.
Venezuela Now Has Toilet Paper but No Breast Implants|Jason Batansky|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The poor isolated girl fell unresistingly into the infamous snare spread for her inexperience: she believed and loved him.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 404, June, 1849|Various
Unfortunately for you you didn't quite carry out your infamous butchery completely enough.
Men, Women and Guns|H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile
And if that infamous doctrine is true every tear is a crime, and every kiss a blasphemy.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 1 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
She would soon be poorer than when she entered upon the infamous enterprise.
From the Housetops|George Barr McCutcheon
Conviction prior to marriage by either party of felony or infamous crime, unknown to the other spouse.
Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World|Hyacinthe Ringrose

British Dictionary definitions for infamous

infamous

/ (ˈɪnfəməs) /

adjective

having a bad reputation; notorious

causing or deserving a bad reputation; shockinginfamous conduct

criminal law (formerly)

(of a person) deprived of certain rights of citizenship on conviction of certain offences
(of a crime or punishment) entailing such deprivation

Derived forms of infamous

infamously, adverbinfamousness, noun

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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