infamous

[in-fuh-muhs]

adjective

1. having an extremely bad reputation.

   an infamous city.

   Synonyms: notorious, ill-famed, disreputable
   Antonyms: reputable

2. deserving of or causing an evil reputation; shamefully malign; detestable.

   an infamous deed.

   Synonyms: villainous, heinous, base, vile, shocking, wicked, odious, nefarious, scandalous, disgraceful
   Antonyms: admirable, praiseworthy

3. Law.

   1. deprived of certain rights as a citizen, as a consequence of conviction of certain offenses.

   2. of or relating to offenses involving such deprivation.

infamous

/ ˈɪnfəməs /

adjective

1. having a bad reputation; notorious

2. causing or deserving a bad reputation; shocking

   infamous conduct

3. criminal law

   1. (of a person) deprived of certain rights of citizenship on conviction of certain offences

   2. (of a crime or punishment) entailing such deprivation

Other Word Forms

• infamousness noun
• infamously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of infamous¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin infām(is) ( infamy ) + -ous

Example Sentences

On Friday, just before Oasis plays the Rose Bowl, Supersonic will headline the Whisky a Go Go, the site of Oasis’ infamous drug-fueled meltdown onstage in 1994.

From Los Angeles Times

Especially with the infamous zebra print pillowcase dress and other looks where you seem to tear things up and put different pieces together.

From Los Angeles Times

Speaking 24 years on from that infamous saga, Andrew told BBC Sport he's surprised that players who honour their contracts are still sometimes considered the villains in the situation.

From BBC

There are two critical differences to what happened, for example, at the infamous mini-Budget of three years ago.

From BBC

The court heard the defendant had marked his weapons with the names of infamous bombers and gunmen, as well as the words "born to kill" on the inside stock of one of the crossbows.

From BBC

Related Words

• disgraceful 
• egregious 
• hateful 
• heinous 
• ignominious 
• monstrous 
• notorious 
• outrageous 
• scandalous 
• shocking 
• vicious 
• vile 

When To Use

What does infamous mean?

Infamous means having, deserving, or resulting in a bad or evil reputation.The word is typically used to describe people, actions, and events. It’s especially used in the context of violent crimes, scandals, and tragedies.Infamous is often used interchangeably with the word notorious, which most commonly means famous or well-known for a negative reason.But infamous is also sometimes used in a more general way to describe things, such as behavior, as shameful, shocking, detestable, vile, heinous, or scandalous.The state of quality of being infamous is infamy.Example: The infamous bank robber was known for setting fire to the crime scene while making his escape.