notoriety
noh-tuh-RYE-uh-tee
/ˌnoʊtəˈraɪəti/
The state of being famous or well-known for some bad quality, deed, or scandal.
Notoriety is 'bad fame.' It is the public attention received by criminals, scammers, or controversial public figures.
The story behind the word. Notoriety comes from the Latin 'notus', meaning 'known.' In medieval times, a 'notary' was someone who recorded known facts. Eventually, the word 'notorious' came to mean 'publicly known,' and because people love to gossip about bad behavior, 'publicly known' slowly shifted to mean 'known for doing something terrible.'
Word relationships
- infamy: Infamy is extreme notoriety, usually associated with historic evil or horrific crimes (e.g., 'a date which will live in infamy').
- ill repute: Ill repute is a bad reputation, but it doesn't necessarily require the widespread public fame that notoriety does.
- renown: Renown is widespread fame for honorable and positive achievements.
- esteem: Esteem is high respect and admiration from others.
Commonly confused with
- fame: Fame is neutral and can be positive or negative; notoriety is strictly negative or scandalous.
Word family
- notorious (adjective): Famous for something bad.
Collocations
- achieve notoriety
- gain notoriety
- national notoriety
- notoriety for scandal
Example sentences
- "The outlaw achieved national notoriety after escaping from three maximum-security prisons." Describing a famous outlaw
- "The company gained notoriety for its aggressive marketing tactics that targeted vulnerable elderly consumers." Discussing a controversial business
Memory hook
Think of 'not-orious' as someone who is 'NOT' nice, but still famous. Famous for what you should NOT do.
When not to use
Do not use notoriety to describe honorable fame or prestige; it carries a distinct negative or scandalous flavor.
Fun facts
- The famous rapper 'The Notorious B.I.G.' embraced this word as his stage name, turning a word for bad fame into a badge of street credibility and power.
Explore more words
notorious, infamous, scandalous, ignominy, opprobrium, disgraced
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