Meaning & use
notorious
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Well known for something bad, such as a crime, a scandal, or cruel behavior.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after linking verbs like be and become: a notorious gang; the area is notorious for theft.
Patterns
- notorious for something
- notorious for doing something
- notorious as something
- a notorious example of something
The street is notorious for drug dealing after dark.
She became notorious for firing employees without warning.
This city is notorious as the wettest place in the country.
adjectivecomparablehumorousinformal
Used, often humorously, about a person known for a harmless but annoying habit.
Grammar: Often before a noun in informal speech, where the bad quality is minor or playful.
Patterns
- notorious for doing something
My uncle is notorious for arriving an hour late to every dinner.
He's notorious for telling the same joke at every party.
Word forms
| comparative | more notorious |
|---|---|
| superlative | most notorious |
Common combinations
- notorious criminal
- The notorious criminal was finally caught at the border.
- notorious for
- The school is notorious for its strict rules.
- notorious case
- The judge reopened the notorious case from the 1980s.
- become notorious
- The video made him notorious overnight.
- notorious reputation
- The club has a notorious reputation for violence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- infamous
- Stronger and more formal; it suggests famous for great wickedness, so it suits crimes and atrocities better than minor bad habits.
- famous
- Neutral or positive, so use it when the reason for being known is good or simply notable, not bad.
- disreputable
- Focuses on a damaged moral reputation rather than on how widely known someone is.
Opposites
Word family
- notoriety noun
- The state of being famous for something bad.
- notoriously adverb
- In a way that is well known for being bad; often used before an adjective, as in notoriously difficult.
Commonly confused: notorious or famous? notorious or notable?
notorious vs famous
Famous just means known by many people and can be positive; notorious always carries a negative judgment.
notorious vs notable
Notable means important or worth attention, with no suggestion of wrongdoing.
Practice
The restaurant is ___ for its slow service, so we always allow extra time.
Choose one answer.
Notorious fits because the reputation is bad (slow service). Famous is tempting but usually suggests a good or neutral reason for being known, and reputable means having a good name, the opposite of what the sentence needs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “notorious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.