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
R. E. Merriam2
: a notorious person
… the errors of notorieties and crowned heads …—James Joyce
James JoyceExamples 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
Idi Amin, who was Uganda’s president from 1971 until 1979, gained notoriety for his outlandish and often cruel actions, including the expulsion in 1972 of Ugandans of Asian descent.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
In 2025, Time's 2025 honorific was given to the minds and financiers behind AI's rise to renown and notoriety, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son and Baidu CEO Robin Li, who spoke directly with the magazine for its feature story.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
On the top step was Michael Jordan, the sports icon who’s pretty much peerless in athletic notoriety, cultural purchase and accomplishment.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
Hip-hop had not yet achieved mainstream notoriety.
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notoriety
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Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
In 2025, Time's 2025 honorific was given to the minds and financiers behind AI's rise to renown and notoriety, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son and Baidu CEO Robin Li, who spoke directly with the magazine for its feature story.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
On the top step was Michael Jordan, the sports icon who’s pretty much peerless in athletic notoriety, cultural purchase and accomplishment.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
Hip-hop had not yet achieved mainstream notoriety.
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notoriety
Cite this Entry
“Notoriety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notoriety. Accessed 26 Dec. 2025.
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