WORD OF THE DAY: NOTORIOUS
adjective|noh-TOR-ee-us
What It Means
Notorious describes people and things that are well-known or famous, especially for something bad or unfavorable.
// Their city is notorious for its extremely hot and humid summers.
Examples of NOTORIOUS
“Given Long Island’s cul-de-sac geography and notorious traffic, proposed bridges and tunnels to Connecticut are bound to get attention on the Island.” — Peter Gill, Newsday, 8 Dec. 2025
Did You Know?
For those who don’t give a fig about a bad reputation, being notorious for unpopular behavior is no biggie. (Being notorious for topping the Billboard charts? Now that’s a Biggie.) Although notorious (which comes from Latin noscere, “to come to know”) can be a synonym of famous, it’s more often a synonym of infamous, having long ago developed the additional implication of someone or something disreputable. The Book of Common Prayer of 1549 includes one of the first known uses of the unfavorable meaning in print, referring to “notorious synners.” You know what they say: more notorious synners, more problems.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
