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
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
Chris Stapleton isn’t taking part in one of Australia’s most infamous concert traditions.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2025
Those acts embraced punk rock’s social conscience, addressing the world in song in a manner akin to the folk tradition of artists like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs (who was arrested during the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago).
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
However, much of the material, including Epstein’s infamous contacts book, had already been made public through past litigation and discovery files.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Trump’s now infamous phone call with Vladimir Putin was still three days away, to say nothing of the diplomatic scramble that followed and is still playing out.
—Michael Holtz, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infamous
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Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2025
Those acts embraced punk rock’s social conscience, addressing the world in song in a manner akin to the folk tradition of artists like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs (who was arrested during the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago).
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
However, much of the material, including Epstein’s infamous contacts book, had already been made public through past litigation and discovery files.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Trump’s now infamous phone call with Vladimir Putin was still three days away, to say nothing of the diplomatic scramble that followed and is still playing out.
—Michael Holtz, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infamous
Articles Related to infamous
Cite this Entry
“Infamous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamous. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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
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