ENGLISH
REFERENCE

notorious

adj.
US //noʊˈtɔɹiəs// UK //nəʊtˈɔːɹɪəs// no·to·ri·ous
  1. 1 famous for something bad (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    famous or well-known for something bad or negative.

    widely known and commonly spoken of, specifically for an unfavourable or undesirable reason.

    Example

    The city is notorious for its terrible traffic during the summer months.

    Example

    The region became notorious for its unpredictable weather, which frequently disrupted the local agricultural cycle and caused significant economic losses.

    Usage

    Often followed by the preposition 'for' or 'as'.
    Pitfall
    He is notorious for his good cooking.
    He is famous for his good cooking.

    Notorious is only used for negative things. Use 'famous' or 'well-known' for positive things.

  2. 2 well-known or obvious (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    clearly known by everyone; impossible to hide.

    widely acknowledged or evident; used when a fact is common knowledge, often with a neutral or slightly formal tone.

    Example

    It is notorious that the two companies have been rivals for decades.

    Example

    The inefficiency of the old postal system was notorious among the local merchants, who often resorted to private couriers for urgent deliveries.

    Usage

    Usually used as a predicative adjective after a linking verb.
Origin

From Late Middle English notoryous, from Medieval Latin nōtōrius (“evident, known; famous, well-known; infamous”), from Latin nōtus (“known, recognized; familiar, widely known; famous, well-known; infamous”) + -tōrius (suffix forming adjectives). Nōtus is the perfect passive participle of nōscō (“to become acquainted with or learn about (something); (rare) to be familiar with, recognize”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know; to recognize”). cognates * Catalan notori (“well-known”) * Middle French notoire (Anglo-Norman notoire, notoir, notore, notorie, modern French notoire (“notorious; well-known”)) * Italian notorio (“notorious; well-known”) * Portuguese notorjo (obsolete), notório (“illustrious; open, public; notorious”) * Spanish notorio (“apparent, clear, obvious; well-known”)

Word family

© 2026 English Reference