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by Kate Woodford

In my last post, I looked at a range of collocations for the words ‘famous’ and ‘fame’. This week, I’m continuing the ‘fame’ theme but considering synonyms (and near-synonyms) for the adjective ‘famous’. As ever, I’m looking at the precise differences in meaning and use between them.

Someone or something that is renowned, celebrated or noted is well known, usually because of something good. (The preposition ‘for’ introduces the quality or ability that someone or something is famous for.)

The people here are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality.

The celebrated Austrian pianist gave her last concert in February.

This whole region is noted for its first-class wineries and vineyards.

Even more emphatic is the adjective legendary. Someone or something that is legendary is extremely famous and greatly admired.

Friends and family said a final farewell to the legendary entertainer today.

The adjective prominent means ‘well known and important’ while the word eminent describes someone who is well known and respected in a particular area of work or study. High-profile is used for someone or something that attracts a lot of media interest and so is known by many:

He was friends with several prominent Democrats.

Her father was an eminent historian.

Public opinion has been influenced by a small number of high-profile cases.

Illustrious means ‘famous and widely admired, especially for great achievements’. It often describes people from the past and careers:

A portrait of his most illustrious predecessor hangs in the office. / She died in 2010 after a long and illustrious career.

Of course, not everyone becomes famous for good reasons! Someone or something that is famous for something very bad may be described as notorious or infamous:

The prison has housed several notorious criminals over the years.

He is perhaps the most infamous outlaw of Wild West history.

And what about the opposite of famous? The adjective obscure means ‘known to few people’:

He’s really into his music and likes all these obscure bands.

We also use the adjectives unknown and little-known to describe people who are not famous and the adjective lesser-known for people and things that are less famous than others like them:

He kept costs down by using relatively unknown actors.

To everyone’s amazement, she picked a little-known Texas governor as her running mate.

As well as more established names, the exhibition also includes works by several lesser-known artists.

That concludes my two-part ‘fame’ blog post. I very much hope you have picked up one or two new words.