famous
famous Lexical Profile
famous Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Known about by many people; having widespread recognition, renown, or celebrity.
"Marie Curie became famous around the world for her pioneering research on radioactivity."
British Excellent, splendid, or first-rate (used informally or in dated expressions of approval).
"The hikers worked up a famous appetite after climbing through the brisk mountain air all morning."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'famous' implies widespread recognition generally for positive or notable achievements, 'infamous' and 'notorious' specify being well-known for something bad, scandalous, or reprehensible.
• Rhymes for famous
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Anglo-French 'famous' and directly from Latin 'famosus' ('much talked of, renowned'), derived from 'fama' ('report, rumor, reputation'). In classical Latin, 'famosus' frequently carried the negative sense of 'notorious' or 'ill-famed' before settling into a predominantly positive meaning in Middle English.