English Reference
adverb

famously

adv.
US /ˈfeɪməsɫi/ UK /fˈeɪməsli/ fa·mous·ly

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    you use this to introduce a fact that almost everyone knows.

    used as a sentential adverb to indicate that the following information is a matter of common public knowledge.

    Simple

    The actor famously walked out of the interview after a personal question.

    In context

    The CEO famously refused to use a computer for the first decade of his tenure, preferring to dictate every memo to his assistant.

    obscurely
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate InformalBritish English

    to do something very successfully or to have a great relationship with someone.

    to interact or progress in an exceptionally smooth or harmonious manner. Often used with the verb 'get on'.

    Simple

    The two dogs met for the first time and got on famously.

    In context

    Despite their initial professional rivalry, the two researchers got on famously and eventually co-authored several influential papers.

    Usage

    Commonly appears in the phrase 'get on famously'.

    excellentlyswimmingly

A gracious, nice guy in an industry famously short of decency, it’s easy to understand why the world’s biggest artists are knocking down his door to work with him.

The Guardian· 16 Aug 2026

The Pluskal Group, including Mutabdžija, was studying the same difficult family of diterpenoid alkaloids in wolfsbane, a famously poisonous relative of larkspur that is also known as monkshood.

ScienceDaily· 3 Aug 2026

From famous + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated