What is the difference between the words famous and infamous

It can take the forms of il -, im -, or ir -, in addition to in -, depending on what letter it precedes. You do not actually have to be famous to be infamous , although we are unlikely to see this latter word applied to a person who is little-known, inconspicuous , or who has not achieved at least some degree of notoriety. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Usage Notes Famous vs. Infamous The prefix is not your friend.

What to Know Famous means "widely known," while infamous means "having a reputation of the worst kind. More Words At Play. Active Oldest Votes. It all adds up nicely. Improve this answer. Kris Kris Can you apply this logic to 'flammable' and 'inflammable'? Use of the latter is discouraged by safety experts sorry, no cite because it can be mistaken for 'not flammable'. JimMack That's a different in- , the preposition. JimMack The prefix in in inflammable is not the one we use for deriving an antonym.

The in there implies the inherent nature of a material to burn, i. Volatile liquids tend to burn all by themselves without external influence.

Add a comment. Featured on Meta. Jack Nicholson is notorious for always wearing sunglasses, a good example of the word being used without as many negative vibes implied. But, already on the scene was another rapper, Biggy Smallz, compelling Wallace to change his moniker to The Notorious B. Dubbing yourself notorious?

Talk about a money move. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. Stevens in a previous opinion. These mic-dropping dissents combined with her legendary ability to hit the gym on the regular in her mids for sure earned RBG her title of being notorious. And due to her popularity, some people think of notorious more positively than it conventionally implies.

Consider Tom Brady. The site that brought this latest misuse to my attention features a slideshow about male celebrities who are shorter than average. Each slide provides information under the following headings:. Here are a few examples of the behavior labeled infamous on this site:.

Of ill fame or repute; famed or notorious for badness of any kind; notoriously evil, wicked, or vile; held in infamy or public disgrace. Actions that warrant the description of infamous include: burning people to death, performing surgical experiments on conscious children, blinding your architects, boiling your treasurer—that kind of thing. In the past, the usual way to acquire fame or notoriety was to excel at something, whether writing, acting, or governing.

With the advent of self-generated publicity, some people manage to become a focus of public attention for nothing at all.