ENGLISH
REFERENCE

reputation

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌɹɛpjəˈteɪʃən// UK //ɹˌɛpjuːtˈeɪʃən// rep·u·ta·tion General-service

n. the opinion that people have about someone or something. It is based on what has happened in the past and tells you if a person is trusted or liked.

n. the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. Often functions as a collective judgment of character or quality based on past behavior.


SIMPLE

The restaurant has a great reputation for fresh seafood.

CONTEXTUAL

After years of honest work, the lawyer built a reputation for being fair to everyone in the community.

COMPLEX

A company's reputation can take decades to establish through consistent quality, yet it can be destroyed in a single afternoon by a poorly handled public relations crisis.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

14c. "credit, good reputation", from Middle English reputacion, reputacioun, reputation, reputatioun, from Anglo-Norman reputacion, reputacioun, Middle French reputation (French réputation), and their etymon Latin reputātiōnem (“consideration, thinking over”), noun of action from past participle stem of reputō (“reflect upon, reckon, count over”), from the prefix re- (“again”) + putō (“reckon, consider”). By surface analysis, repute + -ation. Displaced native Old English hlīsa (“reputation, fame”)

Usage

Often used with the prepositions 'for' (to state the reason) or 'as' (to state the role).

Pitfall

He has a good reputation of a hard worker.He has a good reputation as a hard worker.When describing a person's role or identity, use 'as' instead of 'of'.

© 2026 English Reference