infamy

[in-fuh-mee]

See more synonyms for infamy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural in·fa·mies for 3.

extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act: a time that will live in infamy.
infamous character or conduct.
an infamous act or circumstance.

Law. loss of rights, incurred by conviction of an infamous offense.

Origin of infamy

1425–75; late Middle English infamye < Latin infāmia, equivalent to infām(is) ill-famed (in- in-³ + fām(a) fame + -is adj. suffix) + -ia -y³

Synonyms for infamy

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1. disrepute, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, shame. See disgrace.

Antonyms for infamy

1. credit, honor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for infamy

notoriety, opprobrium, obloquy, odium, disgrace, impropriety, immorality, abomination, dishonor, disrepute, evil, outrageousness, shame, discredit, disapprobation, disesteem, stigma, ignominy, atrocity, scandal

Examples from the Web for infamy

Contemporary Examples of infamy

Some were even questioning if the NFL could survive its own infamy.
How the Media Failed to Nail the NFL
Steve Almond
October 19, 2014
Lane is one of those criminals whose 15 minutes of infamy never seem to end.
How To Plan A Jailbreak
Seth Ferranti
September 13, 2014
Next day, DSK was perp-walking his way, haggard and grizzled, into infamy.
French Political Sex Movie About DSK Sets Cannes Aquiver
Tracy McNicoll
May 17, 2014
An adult-entertainment company wants Foxy Knoxy to take a paltry sum of money to extend her 15 minutes of infamy.
Porn Company Wants Amanda Knox To Star In Adult Entertainment Film
Lizzie Crocker
February 12, 2014
His family name lives in infamy as it adorns the plaza where Kennedy was shot.
The Essential JFK Books
Allen Barra
November 21, 2013

Historical Examples of infamy

And am I to be hurried along by this stream of corruption to infamy and oblivion!
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The door is immediately behind the companion of your infamy.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
He would be spotted, branded with the sign of infamy, hunted from the world!
A Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales
Guy De Maupassant
The organs of treason and of infamy refer always to McClellan.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863
Adam Gurowski
There is no infamy which has not been justified, glorified or even deified in this way.
The Sexual Question
August Forel

British Dictionary definitions for infamy

infamy

noun plural -mies

the state or condition of being infamous
an infamous act or event

Word Origin for infamy

C15: from Latin infāmis of evil repute, from in- 1 + fāma fame

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

Word Origin and History for infamy

early 15c., from Old French infamie (14c.), earlier infame, and directly from Latin infamia "ill fame, bad repute, dishonor, from infamis "of ill fame," from in- "not, without" + fama "reputation" (see fame (n.)).