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

The show’s only performance nominee this year ended up being Connor Storrie, a nomination that can easily be chalked up to his notoriety for Heated Rivalry and to make up for Heated Rivalry being ineligible overall. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 July 2026

How confident is Pettifor that the tale was true; that Cugullere and his brother hadn’t invented their part in it for notoriety? — Phil Hay, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Faye, and her husband/producing partner, have parlayed this notoriety into indie, cool-kid projects that are just commercial enough that some of the target audiences’ boomer parents may also watch. — Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

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

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