well-known
Americanadjective
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clearly or fully known.
The well-known reasons are obvious.
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generally or widely known.
a well-known painting.
- Synonyms:
- celebrated, noted, famous, prominent
adjective
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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
The well-known venture capitalist who bet on Google says that the AI revolution is, if anything, underhyped.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 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
In the country’s earliest years, the North End was home to the city’s colonial governor, Thomas Hutchinson, and to a well-known silversmith named Paul Revere, destined to become famous for a different reason.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
