infamous

adjective

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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 The pick had been restored by the league in recognition of the Winterhawks’ compliance with league regulations following the now-infamous 2012-2013 sanctions. — Samantha Meese, oregonlive, "On the Portland Winterhawks: Spring Fever," 10 Feb. 2020 Peloton’s now-infamous holiday ad, featuring a woman using the bike her husband gave her for Christmas, was deemed sexist by some. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "Wages, economic growth and manufacturing—3 metrics Trump should avoid in tonight’s State of the Union Address," 4 Feb. 2020 The infamous moment, like many at Donald Trump's rallies that summer in 2016, seemed to materialize out of nowhere. — The Washington Post, al, "Man Trump called ‘my African American’ says GOP’s ‘only concern is for whites’," 14 Sep. 2019 The infamous moment, like many at Donald Trump’s rallies that summer in 2016, seemed to materialize out of nowhere. — Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, "‘Their only concern is for whites’: Man who Trump called ‘my African American’ leaves GOP," 13 Sep. 2019 Other fans might have shied away from the memory of such an infamous moment, but Flood embraced his brief brush with fame. — Paul Lukas, SI.com, "'It's My One Claim to Fame': The Untold Story of the Cubs’ Black Cat Jinx," 6 Sep. 2019 In one of the most infamous award show moments of all time, Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for best female video, saying that Beyoncé deserved the award Swift was holding. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, "Don't Forget: Lady Gaga's '09 VMAs Performance Should Have Been the Night's Breakout Moment," 21 Aug. 2019 The film was also instrumental in breaking Hollywood’s infamous blacklist, by giving proper screen credit to its writer, Dalton Trumbo. — David Mermelstein, WSJ, "Remembering Kirk Douglas, a Multidimensional Institution," 6 Feb. 2020 Their relationship is full of particularly public quarrels — from her rescinding Trump’s invitation to give the State of the Union in 2019 in the first place, and then the infamous clap after the speech last year. — Elly Belle, refinery29.com, "Nancy Pelosi Ripping Trump’s SOTU Speech Had More Meaning Than You Think," 5 Feb. 2020

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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Learn More about infamous

Dictionary Entries near infamous

infamous crime against nature

infamy

Statistics for infamous

Last Updated

22 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Infamous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamous. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

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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

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