infamous
adjective
in·fa·mous
ˈin-fə-məs 
1
: having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil
an infamous traitor
2
: causing or bringing infamy : disgraceful
an infamous crime
3
: convicted of an offense bringing infamy
infamously
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of infamous in a Sentence
The most infamous of South America's poisonous snakes are the ringed coral snake and the pit viper.
—
Candice Millard, The River of Doubt, 2005
Clemens is famous, or maybe infamous, for his brushback pitches and in particular for his penchant for "doubling up," throwing two brushbacks in a row.
—Pat Jordan, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
Instead we invoke the infamous dark matter, also known to make up most of the mass of other galaxies (both spiral and elliptical), clusters of galaxies, and the universe. What is it? Your guess may not be quite as good as mine, but almost.
—Virginia Trimble et al., Sky & Telescope, January 1995
a city infamous for poverty and crime
He committed an infamous crime.
Candice Millard, The River of Doubt, 2005
Clemens is famous, or maybe infamous, for his brushback pitches and in particular for his penchant for "doubling up," throwing two brushbacks in a row.
—Pat Jordan, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
Instead we invoke the infamous dark matter, also known to make up most of the mass of other galaxies (both spiral and elliptical), clusters of galaxies, and the universe. What is it? Your guess may not be quite as good as mine, but almost.
—Virginia Trimble et al., Sky & Telescope, January 1995
a city infamous for poverty and crime
He committed an infamous crime.
Recent Examples on the Web
Diana of Versailles was last spotted in 1986 among the wreckage of the infamous passenger liner, which sank during its maiden voyage in a desolate corner of the North Atlantic 112 years ago.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Located just 80 miles from Portland, the Inn is near Cannon Beach with views of the infamous Haystack Rock.
—Roger Sands, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
The new series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennen will dig into the infamous Nineties true crime story, in which brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents, José and Kitty, at the family’s home in Beverly Hills.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
Andres Veiel’s Riefenstahl, a new documentary on the infamous Nazi-era German director Leni Riefenstahl, has sold strongly internationally following its world premiere at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for infamous 
Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Located just 80 miles from Portland, the Inn is near Cannon Beach with views of the infamous Haystack Rock.
—Roger Sands, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
The new series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennen will dig into the infamous Nineties true crime story, in which brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents, José and Kitty, at the family’s home in Beverly Hills.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
Andres Veiel’s Riefenstahl, a new documentary on the infamous Nazi-era German director Leni Riefenstahl, has sold strongly internationally following its world premiere at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for infamous
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infamous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to infamous
Dictionary Entries Near infamous
Cite this Entry
“Infamous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamous. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
infamous
adjective
in·fa·mous
ˈin-fə-məs
1
: having an evil reputation
an infamous traitor
2
: causing or bringing an evil reputation : detestable
an infamous crime
infamously
adverb
Legal Definition
infamous
adjective
in·fa·mous
ˈin-fə-məs
: of, relating to, or being a crime punishable by imprisonment (as a year or more in a penitentiary) that can lead to loss of rights and privileges upon conviction
also
: convicted of such a crime
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share