Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after adjectives

Infamous for, in, of, as or by?

Infamous is normally followed by for to state the bad quality or action someone is known for.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows infamous?

Use infamous for to explain the reason for a bad reputation. Other combinations such as infamous in, infamous of, infamous as, and infamous by are generally not standard after the adjective itself, although in or by may appear separately in a sentence as adjuncts.

The city is infamous for heavy traffic.
He became infamous for the scandal.
The company is infamous for poor customer service.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
infamous for + action/problem

Giving the reason for a bad reputation

Use for with the behaviour, event, or quality that caused the negative reputation.

The restaurant is infamous for slow service.
She became infamous for cheating in the race.
2
infamous among + group

Showing who knows the bad reputation

Among can identify the group of people aware of the reputation.

The website is infamous among local students.
He was infamous among his colleagues.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
infamous for
The actor is infamous for rude behaviour.
Standard and most common pattern.
infamous in
The actor is infamous in Hollywood for rude behaviour.
In introduces a place or context, not the reason after infamous.
infamous of
The actor is infamous of rude behaviour.
Nonstandard after infamous.
infamous as
He is infamous as a corrupt official.
Possible in some contexts to describe a role, but less common than infamous for.
infamous by
He is infamous by his actions.
Nonstandard after infamous.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using of after infamous

Of does not normally follow infamous.

✕ The town is infamous of crime. ✓ The town is infamous for crime.

Confusing in with for

In can describe location or context, but for gives the reason.

✕ The city is infamous in pollution. ✓ The city is infamous for pollution.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company is infamous ___ misleading advertising.
2. He is infamous ___ the financial industry for fraud.
3. The official became infamous ___ accepting bribes.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Is infamous for always negative?

Yes. Infamous describes a bad or negative reputation.

Can I say infamous as?

Sometimes. It can describe a role or identity, but infamous for is more natural in most cases.

Why do I sometimes see infamous in?

In usually introduces a place or context, not the reason for the reputation.

ideal-for-in-as-at, from "identical to" or "identical with"? identifiable by, as, with, in or to? "idle for" or "idle in"? ignorant of, about, to, in or on? "illegal in" or "illegal for"? illustrative of, in, rather or for? ill with, in, for, at or of? "immune to" or "immune from"? "impatient with" or "impatient for"? "imperative for" or "imperative to"? impervious to, from or in?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account