reputation

noun rep·u·ta·tion \ ˌre-pyə-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of reputation

1 a :overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general

b :recognition by other people of some characteristic or ability

has the reputation of being clever

2 :a place in public esteem or regard :good name

trying to protect his reputation

—

reputational

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See reputation defined for English-language learners

See reputation defined for kids

Examples of reputation in a Sentence

He has earned a reputation as a first-class playwright.
a teacher with a reputation for patience
Poor customer service has ruined the company's reputation.

Recent Examples of reputation from the Web

One of the most daunting challenges is changing Frito-Lay’s reputation.

— jennifer kaplan, Bloomberg.com, "Organic Doritos Give Snack Giant a Way Into the New Whole Foods," 30 Aug. 2017
Four years later, Bush was widely viewed as detached during his handling of Hurricane Katrina (especially in a photo of him looking out the window of Air Force One), and his reputation never recovered.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Trump's Empathy Deficit," 29 Aug. 2017
Major internal challenges await Khosrowshahi at Uber, not to mention the job of repairing the company’s reputation, which has been damaged by reports of sexism and executive misconduct.

— rachel lerman, The Seattle Times, "Expedia has flourished under Khosrowshahi’s 12-year tenure," 28 Aug. 2017
Scandal has tarnished his reputation, but not his achievement.

— dan mcswain, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scandal fells a true hero to commuters," 28 Aug. 2017
Indeed, the Judge’s nationally renowned reputation as a grim theocrat is both his greatest strength and weakness.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Could Trump Be About to Stab Luther Strange in the Back?," 26 Aug. 2017
Pre-order #reputation (link in bio) and find out about tickets and merch at taylorswift.com ...ready for it?

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Taylor Swift Releases New Song "Look What You Made Me Do"," 25 Aug. 2017
This overwhelming obsession with looks over taste is what cursed us with Red Delicious apples, Florida tomatoes, and our city’s cultural reputation.

— joel stein, Los Angeles Magazine, "Can We Just Stop with the Whole Charcoal Food Thing Now?," 21 Aug. 2017
The town of Nocona, named after a Comanche chief (hence the Native American-in-headdress logo on Nokona gloves), developed a reputation as a leather-goods hub.

— andrew mayeda, star-telegram, "Made in America: Nation’s last baseball-glove maker refuses to die in Texas," 20 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reputation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of reputation

Middle English reputacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin reputation-, reputatio consideration, from reputare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

reputation Synonyms

Synonyms

character, fame, mark, name, note, odor, rep [slang], report, repute

Related Words

credit, honor; celebrity, notoriety, renown; image, persona; admiration, regard, reverence

Near Antonyms

discredit, disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, ignominy, infamy, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, reproach, shame

REPUTATION Defined for English Language Learners

reputation

noun

Definition of reputation for English Language Learners

: the common opinion that people have about someone or something : the way in which people think of someone or something

REPUTATION Defined for Kids

reputation

noun rep·u·ta·tion \ ˌre-pyə-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of reputation for Students

1 :overall quality or character as judged by people in general

The car has a good reputation.

2 :notice by other people of some quality or ability

… the house had a reputation for being haunted.
—Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time

Word Root of reputation

The Latin word putāre, meaning “to think,” gives us the root put. Words from the Latin putāre have something to do with thinking. A reputation is what other people think about something or someone. To compute is to use math to think about a bunch of numbers together in order to answer a problem. To dispute is to argue because two or more people think different things.

Law Dictionary

reputation

noun rep·u·ta·tion

legal Definition of reputation

:overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general within a community — see also character evidence at evidence, reputation testimony at testimony