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
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
But any extended skids that threaten to endanger a once-ironclad invitation to the playoffs — which have been expanded twice since 2008 — is going to conjure up memories of two of the most infamous late-season stumbles in baseball history.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Osbourne made a surprise cameo near the film’s end, helping Nicky defeat one of his villains — who is disguised as a bat — by biting off its head, an homage to one of the rock star's most infamous on-stage antics.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 22 July 2025
The series was based on the real-life story of Melissa G. Moore, who found out at 15 years old that her father was actually an infamous serial killer who went by the name of Happy Face.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 21 July 2025
Plies explains his curiosity for the contents of the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files after President Donald Trump urged the public to move forward following a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the controversial case.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for infamous
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Jerry Beach, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Osbourne made a surprise cameo near the film’s end, helping Nicky defeat one of his villains — who is disguised as a bat — by biting off its head, an homage to one of the rock star's most infamous on-stage antics.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 22 July 2025
The series was based on the real-life story of Melissa G. Moore, who found out at 15 years old that her father was actually an infamous serial killer who went by the name of Happy Face.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 21 July 2025
Plies explains his curiosity for the contents of the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files after President Donald Trump urged the public to move forward following a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the controversial case.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for infamous
Cite this Entry
“Infamous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamous. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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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