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
The end of the film sees a gravestone, as the infamous assassin is laid to rest next to his wife.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
There are even a few big name drummers set to take the stage — and hopefully skirt the infamous Spinal Tap drummer curse — including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
The redshirt senior is infamous for her on-court trash talk among the Huskies’ practice players, but Bueckers rarely let that side of herself show during the regular season.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2025
The big picture: The team has made the playoffs just twice in the past 22 seasons and its front office is infamous for trading away its star players.
—Martin Vassolo, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infamous
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Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
There are even a few big name drummers set to take the stage — and hopefully skirt the infamous Spinal Tap drummer curse — including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
The redshirt senior is infamous for her on-court trash talk among the Huskies’ practice players, but Bueckers rarely let that side of herself show during the regular season.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2025
The big picture: The team has made the playoffs just twice in the past 22 seasons and its front office is infamous for trading away its star players.
—Martin Vassolo, Axios, 11 Mar. 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 17 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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