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 (as a felony) 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
Potter was one of the best shooting bigs in the league last season and neared the infamous 50-40-90 cutoffs for efficiency, only coming up short at the foul line.
—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
What follows are dozens of examples of how those whose names are familiar (or aren’t) and legendary (or infamous) for their actions while representing the state have been embraced (or renounced) by the rest of the country and beyond.
—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
Colombian hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday named a former lawmaker whose father was killed by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar as his future interior minister.
—
CBS News,
29 June 2026
Texas’ infamous Camp Mystic declares bankruptcy Camp Mystic, the all-girls refuge in Kerr County, Texas, where 28 people, most of them children, died in a catastrophic flash flood early on July 4, 2025, has filed for bankruptcy.
—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for infamous
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
What follows are dozens of examples of how those whose names are familiar (or aren’t) and legendary (or infamous) for their actions while representing the state have been embraced (or renounced) by the rest of the country and beyond.
—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
Colombian hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday named a former lawmaker whose father was killed by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar as his future interior minister.
—
CBS News,
29 June 2026
Texas’ infamous Camp Mystic declares bankruptcy Camp Mystic, the all-girls refuge in Kerr County, Texas, where 28 people, most of them children, died in a catastrophic flash flood early on July 4, 2025, has filed for bankruptcy.
—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for infamous
Cite this Entry
“Infamous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamous. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
