notoriety

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.

The first records of the word notoriety come from the 1500s. It comes from the Medieval Latin word nōtōrius, meaning “well-known” or “public,” from the Late Latin nōtōria, meaning “news” or “a notice,” and nōtōrium, “a criminal charge.” It’s ultimately rooted in the Latin verb nōscere, “to know.” Its ending is a variant of the suffix -ity, which is used to form nouns involving a state or condition.

Notoriety involves a person being known for something specific, and it’s usually not something good. Often, the worse the thing is, the more notoriety the person has. That’s why the word is most closely associated with people like violent criminals whose crimes are widely known. Still, the word isn’t always used in a completely negative way.

What are some other forms related to notoriety?

• notorieties (plural)
• notorious (adjective)

What are some synonyms for notoriety?

• infamy
• ill fame
• ill repute
• disrepute
• bad reputation
• shame
• fame

What are some words that share a root or word element with notoriety? 

• know
• notify

What are some words that often get used in discussing notoriety?

• earn
• gain
• achieve
• criminal
• crime
• killer
• prison
• murder
• well-known

Notoriety commonly refers to the state of being famous for a negative reason, but it can also be used more generally to refer to the state of being well-known for something.

“You admittedly carefully planned and executed the murder of a world-famous person for no reason other than to gain notoriety,” New York’s parole board said in its decision. https://t.co/MSe1T4PhG9

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) August 24, 2018

In the early 70s, my folks' friends earned notoriety for painting their house like this. #TheWayWeWere pic.twitter.com/wTydj1w2Pr

— Esther Schindler (@estherschindler) October 13, 2020

Knowing the things people will do for fame and notoriety, makes me grateful for my simple life.

— Kenneth Sanders (@KennySanders) October 21, 2020

True or False?

Notoriety can be used interchangeably with the word infamy.