Forums → The Tavern → [necro]What is Notoriety? Here is an Answer
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I feel the need to debate this. It seems as if everyone is associating notoriety solely with being bad. This ins not necessarily true.
Here is the Merriam-Webster dictionary Definition:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notoriety
no·to·ri·e·ty
noun
plural no·to·ri·e·ties
Definition of NOTORIETY
1: the quality or state of being notorious
2: a notorious person
Examples of NOTORIETY
1. He achieved instant fame and notoriety with the release of his film.
2. She gained notoriety when photographs of her appeared in a magazine.
3. His comment about the President has given him a notoriety that he enjoys very much.
Origin of NOTORIETY
Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French notoriet, from Medieval Latin notorietat-, notorietas, from notorius
First Known Use: circa 1650
Related to NOTORIETY
Synonyms: big name, cause (also cause celebre), celeb, figure, icon (also ikon), light, luminary, megastar, name, notability, notable, celebrity, personage, personality, somebody, standout, star, superstar, VIP
Antonyms: nobody, noncelebrity
Related Words: favorite, heartthrob, hero, idol; demigod, dignitary, eminence, immortal, monument, pillar, worthy; baron, big shot, bigwig, kahuna, magnate, mogul, nabob, panjandrum
Near Antonyms: lightweight, mediocrity; has-been
Notice the antonyms for notoriety are noncelebrity and nobody and the near antonyms are mediocrity and has been. As well as the fact that the some of the synonyms include celebrity, star, and VIP.
This would hint at the fact that notoriety is a good thing to have.
However this iswhat alphaDictionary has to say:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/notoriety
Notes: Today's Good Word is a good example of the difference between a word and its usage. Notoriety by itself simply means "famous, well-known"; however, it is used most often to refer to that which is known for its bad qualities, e.g. a notorious criminal. This makes the use of this word quite tricky since its connotations tend to be pejorative. Notoriety is the noun for the adjective notorious.
So for example the adjective form of notoriety, notorious, is somewhat a neutral term, that has come to be associated with bad things). Notorious is a descriptive adjective being placed in front of a noun or person or event. The word notorious tells you that that noun, person, or event is well known, but it is the noun, person, or event that tells whether or not it was a good or bad thing.
- 18 Replies
I'm beginning to see lack of a need to debate this.
Yeah I saw how long my post was and realized. I have too much time on my hands. But, I found it interesting what Cenere said.
Sorry, tl; dr. I haven't slept.
But what I am trying to communicate is that infamy could bring good things to people, even if it is still infamy. Like fear in some cases. It does not redefine it, it is simply just a matter of perspective.
And I think honour has two definitions. One being the overall word, the other being the actual honour, that be the arrow upwards, which would be the opposite of dishonour. You could have an honour system, sure, like you could have a fame system, or a notoriety system. All there is is that the downside would be called something different. Dishonour, infamy, fx. While notority... doesn't. Bad notoriety?
"Wow, you just lost a lot of notoriety with that outburst, the who forum is talking about it!" would even be oxymoronic....
Idk, I am writing about methodology anyway, and shouldn't be replying.
I get what your saying. I don't know if I was really interested in this topic, or frustrated that notoriety is going to end up with another meaning, or maybe I just starting posting that last reply and it got so long I had to commit to it. Yeah it really doesn't need to be debated. Thanks for replying though it caused me to think. Interesting stuff.
Methodology
I agree with Reton8 and believe he is right in that the word is plainly misinterpreted by the listener not the speaker. As long as the speaker reinforces the word in the positive or negative. The comment stating, "well language is alive and changing all the time, is an excuse to not know the meaning of a word that's been around for quite some time. Language changes words do not. Only the words use goes out of fashion not the meaning. That's why writing was invented in the first place. And yes, today's written language came about from ancient sumerian pictographs that evolved into ancient written language, eventually to modern day English. One of many written phonetic languages. Slang on the other hand is what I believe to be a byproduct of either a poor educational system or cultural integration into a different society. Probably both, maybe more reasons I'm unaware of. The United States is perhaps the largest melting pot, cultural & language integrated society on the planet, so the story goes. And slang differs regionally. Slang in New York is not the same as slang in New Orleans. You can search for slang on the internet and find slang from the 1800's, 1920's, 30's, 40's etc. And in each decade or so new words are added. However those words are informal combinations that that region may have developed over time as common speak. It's not a formal language or a replacement. And then you have jargon which is the language of a specific field of work. Physics, math, music, jazz. There is plenty of that too however it is not a replacement for the formal language of that area, country or region. So I suggest that if your not sure of the meaning of a word look it up before using it. If you are and the listener is oblivious to the true meaning of the word either, let them know that if they ask, ignore the endless debate and move on!
Amazing how much discussion you can get out of just the definition of a word....
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