famous

adjective

fa·mous | \ˈfā-məs

Definition of famous

1a : widely known a restaurant famous for its French cuisine

b : honored for achievement a famous explorer

2 : excellent, first-rate famous weather for a walk

Other Words from famous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about famous

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Choose the Right Synonym for famous

famous, renowned, celebrated, noted, notorious, distinguished, eminent, illustrious mean known far and wide. famous implies little more than the fact of being, sometimes briefly, widely and popularly known. a famous actress renowned implies more glory and acclamation. one of the most renowned figures in sports history celebrated implies notice and attention especially in print. the most celebrated beauty of her day noted suggests well-deserved public attention. the noted mystery writer notorious frequently adds to famous an implication of questionableness or evil. a notorious gangster distinguished implies acknowledged excellence or superiority. a distinguished scientist who won the Nobel Prize eminent implies even greater prominence for outstanding quality or character. the country's most eminent writers illustrious stresses enduring honor and glory attached to a deed or person. illustrious war heroes

Examples of famous in a Sentence

a book about some of the most famous people of the last century some truly famous Southern-style cooking

Recent Examples on the Web

Once the resemblance to one of the most famous women in the world was noticed and widely agreed upon, however, things changed. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Meet Model Renee Kujur, Rihanna's Stunning Lookalike from India," 5 July 2018 Guillermo del Toro, the Hollywood director most famous for bringing weirdly sensual and subtly human monsters to the big screen, owes some of his success to Toronto. — Erik Heinrich, latimes.com, "Toronto has been a film and TV hub for decades. Now Guillermo del Toro may give the Canadian city an edge," 12 July 2018 Streaming: Get a glimpse inside some of the most famous penitentiaries in the world and see what life's really like for the notorious criminals inhabiting them. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "On TV This Week: All the Top Shows and Movies You Need to Catch," 7 July 2018 If Croatia does beat France, its people might recall the words of one of the country’s most famous athletes, Mate Parlov, who won an Olympic gold medal in boxing. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Why this World Cup final is like no other," 13 July 2018 Then there’s Snoop Dogg, who was arguably the most famous rapper in music following his smash 1993 debut Doggy Style. — Stereo Williams, Billboard, "Drake's 2018 Has Been Huge. But Is He the Biggest Rapper Ever?," 13 July 2018 The gap in their arrivals approximates the gap between appearances by Halley’s Comet, the most famous of the thousands of comets that streak through our solar system. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "The Star That Still Won't Shine: The Incredible, Unprecedented but Unseen Greatness of Mike Trout," 12 July 2018 Twitter's most famous user, President Trump, saw roughly 200,000 of his 53.4 million followers vanish. — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, "Twitter purge wipes out a big chunk of Trump, Obama followers — and Twitter's own," 12 July 2018 Now a group of trans actors are putting a spin on the news by trying out for some of her most famous roles. — Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, "Trans Actors Shade Scarlett Johansson Amid Backlash Over Her Decision to Play a Trans Man," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'famous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.