infamous
pronunciation
How to pronounce infamous in British English:
UK [ˈɪnfəməs]
How to pronounce infamous in American English:
US [ˈɪnfəməs]
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- Adjective:
- having an exceedingly bad reputation
Word Origin
- infamous
- infamous: [14] The negative connotations of infamous go back a long way – to the word’s source, in fact, Latin infāmis. This did not mean simply ‘not well known’; the prefix in- denoted positively ‘bad’, and so infāmis signified ‘of ill repute’. In post-classical times infāmis became infamōsus, which passed into English as infamous.=> famous
- infamous (adj.)
- "of ill repute," late 14c., from Medieval Latin infamosus, from Latin in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + famosus "celebrated" (see famous). Meaning influenced by Latin infamis "of ill fame" (see infamy). As a legal term, "disqualified from certain rights of citizens in consequence of conviction of certain crimes" (late 14c.). The neutral fameless is recorded from 1590s. Related: Infamously.
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. Wang specifically cited the infamous and disturbing kitten-killer case .
- 2. My first meal in beijing included the infamous shark-fin soup I 'd sworn to avoid .
- 3. The articles made bell infamous and tapped into the anti-government ferment that hit its height last summer .
- 4. Chairman bernanke is infamous on the internet because of the youtube video that chronicles his rosy view of the economy from 2005 to 2007 .
- 5. He reached out to the infamous blogger deep at sea .