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
Synonyms
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
In Sing Sing, a group inside an infamous maximum security correctional facility finds purpose by acting together in a theater troupe.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024
Graffiti artists made Oceanwide Plaza in downtown Los Angeles infamous.
—Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
Entomologists attribute the resurgence to the end of the DDT era—the infamous insecticide dramatically cut global insect pest numbers in the mid to late 20th century, before serious environmental and health concerns ended its use, and species started to develop resistance.
—Alena Botros, Fortune Europe, 22 June 2024
After all, his favorite childhood character is infamous Disney villain Cruella de Vil.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for infamous 
Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024
Graffiti artists made Oceanwide Plaza in downtown Los Angeles infamous.
—Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
Entomologists attribute the resurgence to the end of the DDT era—the infamous insecticide dramatically cut global insect pest numbers in the mid to late 20th century, before serious environmental and health concerns ended its use, and species started to develop resistance.
—Alena Botros, Fortune Europe, 22 June 2024
After all, his favorite childhood character is infamous Disney villain Cruella de Vil.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for infamous
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infamous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Infamous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamous. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
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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