renowned
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of renowned
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How does renowned compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Celebrated, gushed over, and even legendary, something that's renowned is really famous. If you not only find a cure for cancer, but you also go on lots of talk shows so everyone knows who you are, then you'll be a renowned scientist. Renown comes from the Anglo-Norman for "re-name," as in repeatedly name, so something renowned is something that people are talking about, or naming, over and over. If you are a huge celebrity, people from your home town might boast, "The renowned Madame X was born here." Something renowned is really good, not just famous. Just because you make the cover of a trashy tabloid magazine doesn't mean you're a renowned actress. But if you win an Oscar, you are.
Vocabulary lists containing renowned
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
You’re renowned for your work in intense films like “Till” and “The Piano Lesson.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Godin’s husband, Seth Godin, a renowned authority on marketing, is the family’s cook and baker.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
A renowned Nepali mountain guide has broken his own world record for the most summits of Mount Everest, after scaling the world's tallest peak for the 32nd time.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
In the meantime, they have been working on their debut album at the renowned Decoy Studios in Melton, England.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Her father, she said, was a renowned surgeon.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
