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Showing results for well-known. Search instead for well-known actor.
Synonyms

well-known

American  
[wel-nohn] / ˈwɛlˈnoʊn /

adjective

  1. clearly or fully known.

    The well-known reasons are obvious.

  2. generally or widely known.

    a well-known painting.

    Synonyms:
    celebrated, noted, famous, prominent

well-known British  

adjective

  1. widely known; famous; celebrated

  2. known fully or clearly

"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

Etymology

Origin of well-known

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75

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.

See Examples For:

Ives, who also launched a colorful clothing line last year, is closely followed as one of the most well-known and bullish tech analysts.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

This is something that is very well-known in administrative law and in economics—this concept of agency capture or regulatory capture.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

Dhanda says her well-known street theatre group, Jana Natya Manch, often faces hurdles performing in public spaces.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Next came the Daytime Emmy-winning TV series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986 through 1990 and helped kick-start the careers of now well-known stars including Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

They owed to him their two or three politest puzzles; and the joy and exultation with which at last he recalled, and rather sentimentally recited, that well-known charade,

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

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