notoriety

[ noh-tuh-rahy-i-tee ]

noun

, plural no·to·ri·e·ties.

1. the state, quality, or character of being notorious or widely known:

   a craze for notoriety.

   Synonyms: infamy, shame, disrepute

2. Chiefly British. a notorious or celebrated person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of notoriety¹

1585–95; < Medieval Latin nōtōrietās, equivalent to nōtōri ( us ) notorious + -etās, variant (after -i- ) of -ity

Example Sentences

“At our peak, when we had the most notoriety and fame, the pressure was unbelievable,” he told BBC Radio Sussex.

From BBC

“It reminds me of some cancer clusters, where a surprising number of cancers gets notoriety, say in a workplace during a short period of time, and then the cluster gets bigger because other office workers get tested and cancers get diagnosed that would have been missed without the concern caused by the initial cluster,” Barnett said.

From Los Angeles Times

His fame and notoriety grew, and in October of that year, a daredevil couple from Cincinnati wished to be married on his balloon, with the ceremony being conducted from the basket in mid-air.

From Salon

Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2017, he began a two-year professional relationship with Chip Somers, a psychotherapist and sober companion who had been “put forward as somebody who could deal with people with notoriety and could be trusted to do so.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• celebrity
• fame
• flak
• infamy
• opprobrium
• renown
• spotlight