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

In 1998, his notoriety or fame rose with the creation of a Chanel-type guillotine. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026

In Italy last year, a 15-year-old boy planned a murder to gain notoriety online, authorities there said. — Lorne Cook, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

The musical follows Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two killer women who turn their criminal notoriety into celebrity in 1920s Chicago. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026

Steinem, who died at age 92, became a symbol of the second-wave of feminism through activism work after initially gaining notoriety as a journalist in the 1960s. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 4 Sep. 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