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Webster 1913 Edition


Notorious

No-to′ri-ous

,
Adj.
[L.
notorius
pointing out, making known, fr.
noscere
,
notum
, to known: cf. F.
notoire
. See
Know
.]
Generally known and talked of by the public; universally believed to be true; manifest to the world; evident; – usually in an unfavorable sense;
as, a
notorious
thief; a
notorious
crime or vice.
Your goodness,
Since you provoke me, shall be most
notorious
.
Shakespeare
Syn. – Distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; celebrated; noted; famous; renowned.
No-to′ri-ous-ly
,
adv.
No-to′ri-ous-ness
,
Noun.

Webster 1828 Edition


Notorious

NOTO'RIOUS

,
Adj.
[L. known.]
1.
Publicly knwon; manifest to the world; evident; usually, knwon to disadvantage; hence almost always used in all ill sense; as a notorious thief; a notorious crime or vice; a man notorious for lewdness or gaming.
2.
In a good sense.
Your goodness, since you provoke me, shall be most notorious.

Definition 2024


notorious

notorious

English

Adjective

notorious (comparative more notorious, superlative most notorious)

  1. Widely known, especially for something bad; infamous.
    • 1920, "This is the last straw. In your infatuation for this man — a man who is notorious for his excesses, a man your father would not have allowed to so much as mention your name — you have reflected the demi-monde rather than the circles in which you have presumably grown up." The Offshore Pirate by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • 1999, "The Hempshocks' sheep were notoriously the finest for miles around: shaggy-coated and intelligent (for sheep), with curling horns and sharp hooves." Neil Gaiman, Stardust, pg. 30 (2001 Perennial edition)

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Usage notes

Notorious is often misused for well-known, famous, or celebrated; however, in Modern English, its meaning has changed. Notorious is not a positive attribute.