notoriety

[noh-tuh-rahy-i-tee]

noun

plural

notorieties 

1. the state, quality, or character of being notorious or widely known.

   a craze for notoriety.

   Synonyms: infamy, shame, disrepute

2. Chiefly British.,  a notorious or celebrated person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of notoriety¹

1585–95; < Medieval Latin nōtōrietās, equivalent to nōtōri ( us ) notorious + -etās, variant (after -i- ) of -ity

Example Sentences

Sue’s notoriety continued to swell after appearing on the popular internet talk show “Subway Takes” with the standout zinger: “Gossip is socially useful, especially to women and the marginalized.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Whether whistleblower notoriety will help or hurt Borges’s electoral chances in Maryland remains to be seen.

Read more on MarketWatch

Regardless, the show’s expanding audience makes it likely the show will surpass “Yellowstone” in notoriety.

Read more on Salon

There’s something that both these characters are grappling with, which is notoriety and the public having an idea about them because of the things that they’ve gone through.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The hubs gained international notoriety for housing internet fraud factories where workers -- some of them trafficked -- rob foreigners with romance and business cons worth billions of dollars annually.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• celebrity 
• fame 
• flak 
• infamy 
• opprobrium 
• renown 
• spotlight 

When To Use

What does notoriety mean?

Notoriety is the state or quality of being famous or well-known, especially for a negative reason.If often means the state or quality of being notorious, which 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. A noun form of infamous, infamy, is often used interchangeably with notoriety.Notorious can also mean known for a particular trait or action, not necessarily a bad one, as in My aunt is notorious for arriving late to family events. Notoriety can refer to the state of being known in this way. In some cases, it can mean much the same thing as fame, and in fact the two words are often used side by side, as in It’s unbelievable what some people will do for fame and notoriety. Notoriety is often discussed as being earned, gained, or achieved, as in The company gained notoriety for its irreverent marketing campaigns. Example: He gained notoriety for his role in the scandal, and his reputation has never recovered.