notorious

American  

[noh-tawr-ee-uhs, nuh-] / noʊˈtɔr i əs, nə- /

adjective

1. widely and unfavorably known.

   a notorious gambler.

   Synonyms:

   disreputable, flagrant, arrant, egregious, ill-famed, infamous

2. publicly or generally known, as for a particular trait.

   a newspaper that is notorious for its sensationalism.

   Synonyms:

   famous, conspicuous, prominent, celebrated, renowned, notable

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notorious British  

/ nəʊˈtɔːrɪəs, ˌnəʊtəˈraɪɪtɪ /

adjective

1. well-known for some bad or unfavourable quality, deed, etc; infamous

2. rare generally known or widely acknowledged

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Usage

What does notorious mean? Notorious most commonly means famous or well-known for a negative reason. The word 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. Notorious can also mean known for a particular trait or action, not necessarily a bad one. For example, you might be notorious for wearing the same outfit every Friday, or your aunt might be notorious for arriving late to family events. The state or quality of being notorious is notoriety. Example: The island prison known as Alcatraz was known for holding some of America’s most notorious criminals.

Other Word Forms

• notoriety
  noun
• notoriously
  adverb
• notoriousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of notorious

First recorded in 1540–50; from Medieval Latin nōtōrius “well known, public,” from Late Latin nōtōria “a notice, news, intelligence” and nōtōrium “indictment, (criminal) charge,” equivalent to nō(scere) “to get to know” + -tōrius adjective suffix; see notify, -tory ¹

Explanation

Use the adjective notorious to describe people, places, or things that are famous for a bad reason. A good synonym for notorious is infamous; both words mean "well-known, and not in a good way." A celebrity convicted of a series of crimes might be referred to as notorious, as might a book that has been banned in several countries. The word originally meant just "famous" and could carry either positive or negative connotations. Only in recent centuries did the negative uses start to outweigh the positive ones. In general, you'd rather be famous than notorious — unless you're looking to build a bad reputation.

Example Sentences

However, the naturally aspirated era - and especially the years from 1994-2009 when there was refuelling - was notorious for the lack of overtaking on track.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Claudine Longet, the French-born star and ex-wife of crooner Andy Williams who became notorious for the fatal shooting of Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Bryggeriets is less than a mile from one of Sweden’s most notorious housing projects, Rosengård, where soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović grew up.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

"But discovering a painting from the famous Goudstikker collection, in the possession of the heirs of a notorious Dutch Waffen-SS general, truly tops everything."

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

Captain Kidd was taken from the notorious pirate.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• blatant
• flagrant
• infamous
• prominent
• well-known