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

But as the gadgets have grown in notoriety, they’ve also been met with privacy backlash and doubts about whether the technology is beneficial enough to become a fixture in everyday life. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026

In the run-up to this year’s campaign, the AI in Elections Observatory recorded 29 cases of AI avatars like Dona Maria, though no other synthfakes obtained her level of notoriety. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Oct. 2026

Her biggest impact this season went far beyond the score, gaining widespread notoriety for standing firm for her values off the court. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

While Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Alaskan cruises will always be popular, one cruise type that’s gaining more notoriety is repositioning cruises. — Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 29 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