infamous

adjective in·fa·mous \ ˈin-fə-məs \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

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

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infamously

adverb

See infamous defined for English-language learners

See infamous defined for kids

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 of infamous from the Web

The trial also explored a number of clashes or attempted clashes with the Cossacks, before and after the infamous shootout in Waco in May 2015, in which nine bikers — the majority of them Cossacks — were killed, and 20 other people were injured.

— guillermo contreras, San Antonio Express-News, "Closing arguments Monday in trial of former top Bandidos leaders," 13 May 2018
It’s hard to imagine that even the most famous and frequent-repeat attendees don’t still feel a surge of nerves and adrenaline while making their way up the museum’s infamous grand stairway.

— Vogue, "How One Designer Prepared for His Met Gala Red Carpet Debut," 10 May 2018
The infamous White House intern who had an affair with President Bill Clinton, leading to his impeachment in 1998, was invited to a luncheon and then summarily disinvited, reports The Huffington Post.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "A Parkland shooting survivor was invited to a fancy event. The guest list got awkward. | Miami Herald," 9 May 2018
Attending the Met Ball that year would have kicked up even more media buzz than usual since the year prior is when the infamous dance with Tom Hiddleston went down.

— claire dodson, Teen Vogue, "5 Celebrities Who Had to Miss the Met Gala Over the Years," 5 May 2018
Or even, a week after his visit to Washington, a parody of President Donald Trump's infamous comments about Macron's wife?

— Bloomberg.com, "Macron Calls Australian PM’s Wife ‘Delicious’," 2 May 2018
Carmen Rene is a YouTuber and body-positive activist who's currently making waves for recreating Kardashian's infamous fragrance ad, with a message of self-love attached.

— kaleigh fasanella, Allure, "Body-Positive Blogger Carmen Rene Beautifully Recreates Kim Kardashian's Nude KKW Body Ads," 2 May 2018
In 2013, James Cole, a deputy attorney general in the Obama Justice Department, issued a memo that was sort of the marijuana equivalent of President Bill Clinton's infamous don't ask, don’t tell policy toward gays in the military.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics / Weed Week Trump’s war on medical marijuana putting Illinois dispensaries at 'risk'," 24 Apr. 2018
In the now infamous shot, Garner appears confused and disturbed while applauding during the award show.

— katherine schaffstall, The Hollywood Reporter, "Jennifer Garner Tries to Explain Her Viral Oscars Moment," 16 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of infamous

Middle English, from Latin infamis, from in- + fama fame

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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infamous Synonyms

INFAMOUS Defined for English Language Learners

infamous

adjective

: well-known for being bad : known for evil acts or crimes
: causing people to think you are bad or evil

INFAMOUS Defined for Kids

infamous

adjective in·fa·mous \ ˈin-fə-məs \

1 : having an evil reputation

an infamous murderer

2 : ¹evil 1, bad

an infamous crime

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infamously

adverb

Law Dictionary

infamous

adjective in·fa·mous \ ˈin-fə-məs \

: 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