Home › Relationships › Infamy & Notoriety › infamous

infamous

IN-fuh-muhs /ˈɪnfəməs/

adjectiveB2SATACTTOEFLIELTS

neutraljournalistic

Having an extremely bad reputation; deserving of or causing an evil reputation.

Infamous is stronger than notorious, often implying a deep moral outrage or historical wickedness associated with the subject.

The story behind the word. Infamous comes from the Latin 'infamis', where 'in-' means 'not' and 'fama' means 'fame' or 'reputation'. In ancient Rome, 'infamia' was a legal status of disgrace where a citizen lost their civic rights and standing in society.

Word relationships

heinous: Heinous emphasizes the shocking wickedness of an action, while infamous focuses on the widespread bad reputation resulting from it.

honorable: Honorable indicates deserving of high respect and moral integrity.

Commonly confused with

famous: Famous means widely known for good or neutral reasons, while infamous means widely known for evil.

Word family

infamy (noun): The state of being well known for some bad quality or deed; evil fame.

Collocations

infamous dictator
infamous reputation
infamous crime
infamous for

Example sentences

"The infamous pirate Blackbeard was known for his cruelty and ruthless raids along the coast." A historical account of a famous pirate
"December 7, 1941, remains an infamous date in world history." A discussion of a historical tragedy

Memory hook

Think of 'in-fame-us' as someone who is 'in' trouble for their 'fame'—their reputation is completely ruined. Famous for being bad.

When not to use

Do not pronounce this word as 'in-famous' with the stress on 'famous'. The stress is strictly on the first syllable.

Fun facts

In Roman law, actors, gladiators, and prostitutes were legally designated as 'infames', meaning they had no legal standing and could not testify in court.

Related words

notorious, scandalous

Explore more words

ignominy, notoriety, despicable, outrage, fiasco, profligate