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renowned

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verb

past tense of renown

Synonym Chooser

How is the word renowned different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of renowned are celebrated, distinguished, eminent, famous, illustrious, noted, and notorious. While all these words mean "known far and wide," renowned implies more glory and acclamation.

one of the most renowned figures in sports history

In what contexts can celebrated take the place of renowned?

In some situations, the words celebrated and renowned are roughly equivalent. However, celebrated implies notice and attention especially in print.

the most celebrated beauty of her day

When might distinguished be a better fit than renowned?

While the synonyms distinguished and renowned are close in meaning, distinguished implies acknowledged excellence or superiority.

a distinguished scientist who won the Nobel Prize

When is it sensible to use eminent instead of renowned?

The synonyms eminent and renowned are sometimes interchangeable, but eminent implies even greater prominence for outstanding quality or character.

the country's most eminent writers

When is famous a more appropriate choice than renowned?

The words famous and renowned are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, famous implies little more than the fact of being, sometimes briefly, widely and popularly known.

a famous actress

When can illustrious be used instead of renowned?

Although the words illustrious and renowned have much in common, illustrious stresses enduring honor and glory attached to a deed or person.

illustrious war heroes

When would noted be a good substitute for renowned?

While in some cases nearly identical to renowned, noted suggests well-deserved public attention.

the noted mystery writer

How do notorious and famous relate to one another, in the sense of renowned?

Notorious frequently adds to famous an implication of questionableness or evil.

a notorious gangster

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of renowned
Verb
Joseph Yamada, a landscape architect, is credited with shaping many of San Diego’s most renowned public spaces, including SeaWorld, Seaport Village and Embarcadero Marina Park. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025 Song’s invitation marks the 11th for the Parisian department store’s annual artistic program, following exhibits from renowned international art figures such as Argentine artist Leandro Erlich, Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota and Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto. Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025 The country's biggest exports include watches, pharmaceuticals and precious metals — but the country is also renowned for its luxury goods, chocolate and skincare products. Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025 Her father, William DeBerry McKissack, was a renowned Black architect and CEO of McKissack & McKissack. Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for renowned
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renowned
Adjective
  • Joining him for color commentary is Dell Curry — former Sixth Man of the Year with the Hornets, current famous dad of Steph and Seth.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Expect crowds to flock to the beloved establishment, which over the years has hosted many famous folks like James Brown, Alan Jackson, the late President Jimmy Carter, and the late Congressman John Lewis.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • D’Angelo, the neo-soul trailblazer and modern visionary whose three albums were widely acclaimed as masterful works of art, died on Tuesday.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
  • He was heavily awarded and critically acclaimed for his talents.
    Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • French authorities swarmed the museum in the 24 hours following, with photographs from outside the famed museum showing forensics investigators searching the scene for clues.
    Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The country is also home to over 10,000 waterfalls and lagoons, and now exploring those famed waterways just got easier.
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There was a time when Chiles would have been commended for her service.
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Stern later commended Winfrey's charitable work elsewhere in the episode.
    Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The celebrated sculptor, whose angular, gravity-defying figures are icons of modern art, spent his life exploring form, balance, and the spaces in between.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The reversal ends months of speculation about the future of one of Kansas City’s most celebrated fine-dining spots.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Another opportunity for a small reward – usually just $1 – came whenever someone complimented their behavior at restaurants.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The classic tonal gray makeup is complimented by black-and-gray and white-and-silver colorways, each of which are available now in select sizing from New Balance’s e-commerce store.
    Riley Jones, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The 4-2-3-1 formation has been one of the most prominent systems used across Europe since the turn of the century, adopted by some of the best tacticians in modern football.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • While there’s some grappling between the big three, Amazon, Microsoft and Google remain by far the prominent cloud computing providers for AI applications, according to Emarketer senior analyst Jacob Bourne — and their futures depend at least in part on serving AI demand.
    Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Egyptian attacker briefly applauded Liverpool’s jubilant away end inside Deutsche Bank Park after the final whistle before turning and making a beeline for the tunnel as the celebrations continued.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Meantime, the analyst applauded AppLovin’s expansion into e-commerce advertising, which has a total addressable market that is multiple times the size of the mobile game in-app advertising market.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Renowned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renowned. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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