infamy

Q: Is being infamous always a bad thing?

Infamous has a small range of meanings, and none of them are ones that most people would care to be described with. It may mean " notoriously evil," "disgraceful," or "convicted of an offense bringing infamy " ( infamy is "evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal").

Q: Is 'infamous' the opposite of 'famous'?

Infamous is not the opposite of famous . It does not mean "not famous" or "exceptionally famous." It means "having a reputation of the worst kind." Although the in - prefix often indicates negation or gives a meaning opposite to the word it is attached to, it occasionally will have other meanings, such as "inward" and "thoroughly."

noun

in·fa·my ˈin-fə-mē

plural infamies

Synonyms of infamy next

: evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal

: an extreme and publicly known criminal or evil act

: the state of being infamous

Frequently Asked Questions

Is being infamous always a bad thing?

Infamous has a small range of meanings, and none of them are ones that most people would care to be described with. It may mean "notoriously evil," "disgraceful," or "convicted of an offense bringing infamy" (infamy is "evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal").

Is infamous the opposite of famous?

Infamous is not the opposite of famous. It does not mean "not famous" or "exceptionally famous." It means "having a reputation of the worst kind." Although the in- prefix often indicates negation or gives a meaning opposite to the word it is attached to, it occasionally will have other meanings, such as "inward" and "thoroughly."

What is the difference between unfamous and infamous?

Although it would appear that both of these words are created by adding a similar prefix to the word famous, they actually have quite different meanings. Infamous means "notoriously evil," whereas unfamous simply means "not famous." Infamous is by far the more commonly-used of the two.

Choose the Right Synonym for infamy

disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, infamy, ignominy mean the state or condition of suffering loss of esteem and of enduring reproach.

disgrace often implies humiliation and sometimes ostracism.

sent home in disgrace

dishonor emphasizes the loss of honor that one has enjoyed or the loss of self-esteem.

preferred death to life with dishonor

disrepute stresses loss of one's good name or the acquiring of a bad reputation.

a once proud name fallen into disrepute

infamy usually implies notoriety as well as exceeding shame.

a day that lives in infamy

ignominy stresses humiliation.

the ignominy of being arrested

Examples of infamy in a Sentence

He never escaped the infamy his crimes had earned him. despite her eventual pardons, she could never completely free herself of the infamy of being named a war criminal

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

By the standards of Sin City, the casino has attained a modest amount of infamy and lore over its 25 years in operation. —

Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 The fact that Fire & Blood’s narrators and cited sources are mostly men trying to wrap their heads around Alys gave the actress room to play with the character’s dance among fact, faction, and infamy. —

Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 July 2024 Kent Nishimura | Getty Images Shkreli gained national infamy in 2015 when his drug company hiked the price of Daraprim by more than 4,000%. —

Dan Mangan, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2024 Gooden’s parlay with the Republicans preceded digital infamy and hip-hop’s dominance over youth culture. —

Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for infamy

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of infamy was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Infamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

infamy

noun

in·fa·my ˈin-fə-mē

plural infamies

: an evil reputation

: an infamous act

: the state of being infamous

Last Updated: 10 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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infamy

noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Synonyms

Examples of infamy in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near infamy

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition