notoriety

noun

no·​to·​ri·​e·​ty ˌnō-tə-ˈrī-ə-tē 

plural notorieties

1

: the quality or state of being notorious

… the city's notoriety for corrupt and incompetent government.

—R. E. Merriam

2

: a notorious person

… the errors of notorieties and crowned heads …

—James Joyce

Synonyms of notoriety

• celebrity
• star
• personality

Examples of notoriety in a Sentence

He achieved instant fame and notoriety with the release of his film.

She gained notoriety when nude photographs of her appeared in a magazine.

His comment about the President has given him a notoriety that he enjoys very much.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the group grew in fame and notoriety, their sound evolved, mixing heavy metal with more emotional, dynamic ballads. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Brathwaite quickly gained notoriety in Venezuela for her abstract shapes conjuring both geological configurations and human bodies. — News Desk, Artforum, 9 July 2026

Patriot Front’s other chief notoriety comes from packing members in the back of U-Haul trucks after a 2025 march in Kansas City, Missouri, prompting the company to ban several of its members for violating U-Haul’s rental policy. — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

And each yarn enjoys a notoriety that exceeds the very history of the events described. — Terry W. Hartle, Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French notorieté, from Medieval Latin notorietat-, notorietas, from notorius

First Known Use

circa 1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for notoriety

• anxiety
• impiety
• propriety
• satiety
• sobriety
• society
• variety
• antianxiety
• intersociety
• contrariety
• impropriety
• inebriety

Kids Definition

notoriety

noun

no·​to·​ri·​ety

ˌnōt-ə-ˈrī-ət-ē

plural notorieties

: the quality or state of being notorious