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.
Their alliance is an unusual one between well-known names in industries that have eyed each other warily since the advent of models that can generate audio, images and video.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
It’s going to be fun tracking the progress of first-year football coaches this season because there are so many at well-known programs.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
Another character that has regularly appeared up against well-known politicians including former prime ministers Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, is Count Binface.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
One well-known example is the "cat state," where an oscillator exists as a superposition of two wave packets moving in opposite directions.
From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026
The well-known remark of William Blake that our great laureate of the War in Heaven, John Milton, was “of the devil’s party without knowing it” is testament to this.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
