infamous

adjective

in·fa·mous | \ ˈin-fə-məs

Definition of infamous

1 : having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil an infamous traitor

2 : causing or bringing infamy : disgraceful an infamous crime

3 : convicted of an offense bringing infamy

Other Words from infamous Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about infamous

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Examples of infamous in a Sentence

The most infamous of South America's poisonous snakes are the ringed coral snake and the pit viper. — Candice Millard, The River of Doubt, 2005 Clemens is famous, or maybe infamous, for his brushback pitches and in particular for his penchant for "doubling up," throwing two brushbacks in a row. — Pat Jordan, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001 Instead we invoke the infamous dark matter, also known to make up most of the mass of other galaxies (both spiral and elliptical), clusters of galaxies, and the universe. What is it? Your guess may not be quite as good as mine, but almost. — Virginia Trimble et al., Sky & Telescope, January 1995 a city infamous for poverty and crime He committed an infamous crime.

Recent Examples on the Web

What followed was one of the most infamous events of the Gulf War, with the two men forced to eject were captured by the Iraqis, tortured, and paraded to the world’s media. — Mark Smith, Popular Mechanics, "Why the Panavia Tornado Is Such a Badass Plane," 10 Apr. 2019 Selena’s other infamous long-term relationship was with singer, the Weeknd. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Everything You Need To Know About Selena Gomez's Love Life," 4 Apr. 2019 Waste and corruption are serious concerns in disaster relief operations, spectacularly highlighted by the infamous fake 9/11 charities. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "Why disaster relief is so hard," 25 Mar. 2019 The downtown block, which cuts through Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood, has become infamous for its proliferation of retail vacancies after rents shot way up. — Keiko Morris, WSJ, "Pop-Up Stores and Dive Bars: How a Property Developer Aims to Cure NYC’s Empty Storefronts," 30 Oct. 2018 Johnson is an Air Force veteran who was a prisoner of war at the infamous Hanoi Hilton in Vietnam. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "Republicans who won't be coming back to Congress after 2018 midterm elections," 29 May 2018 In China, where gridlock in cities like Beijing is infamous, the trend has grown even faster. — Clive Thompson, WIRED, "The Vehicle of the Future Has Two Wheels, Handlebars, and Is a Bike," 13 May 2018 Here are the numbers of pardons by recent presidents, and some of the more famous—or infamous—examples. — Sadie Gurman, WSJ, "Barr’s Push for Iran-Contra Pardons Likely to Emerge in Confirmation Hearing," 28 Dec. 2018 Imelda was infamous for her lavish spending as first lady. — Stavros Agorakis, Vox, "Vox Sentences: Eternal Recount of the Sunshine State," 10 Nov. 2018

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

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More Definitions for infamous

infamous

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of infamous

: well-known for being bad : known for evil acts or crimes

: causing people to think you are bad or evil

See the full definition for infamous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

infamous

adjective

in·fa·mous | \ ˈin-fə-məs

Kids Definition of infamous

1 : having an evil reputation an infamous murderer

2 : evil entry 1 sense 1, bad an infamous crime

infamous

adjective

in·fa·mous | \ ˈin-fə-məs

Legal Definition of infamous

: of, relating to, or being a crime punishable by imprisonment (as a year or more in a penitentiary) that can lead to loss of rights and privileges upon conviction also : convicted of such a crime