well-known
Americanadjective
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clearly or fully known.
The well-known reasons are obvious.
-
generally or widely known.
a well-known painting.
- Synonyms:
- celebrated, noted, famous, prominent
adjective
-
widely known; famous; celebrated
-
known fully or clearly
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.
A well-known figure in the news in Rio, Moscatelli calls the capybaras by human names to sensitize humans to them.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Around the same time, my wife and I were invited to dinner by another adviser from a different well-known firm, but I was more cautious this time.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
He said the victim had been "a well-known local figure, a religious leader from Mongbwalu", which is home to 130,000 people.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
He has worked at a litany of well-known firms on Wall Street, including Morgan Stanley, Carlyle Group and an affiliate of Apollo Global Management.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
I did not need to be guided to the well-known room, to which I had so often been summoned for chastisement or reprimand in former days.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
