Meaning & use
notoriety
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Meaning
noununcountable
The condition of being widely known because of something bad, shocking or shameful.
Grammar: No plural and no article: he gained notoriety.
Patterns
- notoriety for something
- gain notoriety as something
The mayor gained notoriety for handing contracts to his friends.
The pub earned a certain notoriety after the famous brawl.
She never wanted the notoriety that came with the trial.
Common combinations
- gain notoriety
- The band gained notoriety after wrecking a hotel room.
- achieve notoriety
- He achieved notoriety as a ruthless negotiator.
- international notoriety
- The scandal brought the company international notoriety.
- notoriety for
- The street has a notoriety for traffic accidents.
Synonyms and how they differ
- infamy
- Infamy is stronger and suggests truly wicked deeds, while notoriety can describe merely scandalous behavior.
- fame
- Fame is neutral or positive, but notoriety always carries disapproval.
- disrepute
- Disrepute focuses on loss of good name, not on being widely known.
Opposites
Word family
- notorious adjective
- famous for something bad
- notoriously adverb
- in a way that is widely known and unfavorable
Commonly confused: notoriety or notability?
notoriety vs notability
Notability means being worthy of attention, with no suggestion of shame; notoriety is about bad reputation.
Practice
The hacker gained ___ after leaking thousands of private emails.
Choose one answer.
Leaking private emails is a bad act, so the fame it brings is notoriety. Popularity, prestige and admiration all suggest approval.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “notoriety”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.