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Prepositions after adjectives

Notorious for, in, of, as or among?

The standard pattern is notorious for + bad quality, action, or reputation. Other prepositions may appear in separate expressions, but they are not usual replacements for for.

Quick answer

Which preposition is used with notorious?

Use notorious for to describe the bad thing someone or something is well known for. Notorious in, notorious of, and notorious among are usually part of larger sentence structures rather than fixed adjective patterns. Notorious as is possible when naming a role or identity.

The company is notorious for late deliveries.
He became notorious for tax fraud.
She was notorious as a ruthless negotiator.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
notorious for + behaviour/problem

Showing a bad reputation

Use notorious for with crimes, habits, scandals, or other negative qualities.

The district is notorious for heavy traffic.
The website became notorious for spreading rumours.
2
notorious as + role/name

Naming the identity someone is known by

Use notorious as when you identify the type of person or role linked to the reputation.

He was notorious as a corrupt official.
3
notorious among + group

Showing reputation within a group

Among can introduce the people who know the reputation. It does not replace for.

The restaurant is notorious among local students for slow service.
4
notorious in + place/field

Locating the reputation

In can refer to a place, community, or field where the reputation exists.

The gang became notorious in the region during the 1990s.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
notorious for
The actor is notorious for arriving late.
Standard pattern for a negative reputation.
notorious as
She was notorious as a strict examiner.
Focuses on the role or identity linked to the reputation.
notorious among
The app is notorious among gamers for crashing.
Names the group who know the reputation.
notorious in
The prison was notorious in the country for violence.
Places the reputation in a location or context.
notorious of
The phrase notorious of is not standard in current English.
Use notorious for instead.

Common mistakes

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

Using notorious of

English normally uses notorious for with the reason for the reputation.

✕ The café is notorious of bad service. ✓ The café is notorious for bad service.

Using as instead of for

Use for before the bad behaviour or quality itself.

✕ He is notorious as cheating customers. ✓ He is notorious for cheating customers.

Confusing among with the main pattern

Among introduces a group, not the reason for the reputation.

✕ The hotel is notorious among dirty rooms. ✓ The hotel is notorious for dirty rooms among tourists.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company is notorious ___ missing deadlines.
2. She became notorious ___ a dishonest broker.
3. The club is notorious ___ students for noisy parties.

Check your sentence in context

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Frequently asked questions

Is notorious always negative?

Yes. Notorious usually describes a bad or unfavourable reputation.

Can I say notorious in?

Yes, when referring to a place or context, such as notorious in the city. The main adjective pattern is still notorious for.

Is notorious of correct?

No. In current standard English, use notorious for instead.

naive-in-about-to-of, for naked in, on, with, for or at? "narrow down" or "narrow in"? "nasty to", "nasty in" or "nasty about"? "national of" or "national in"? "native of" or "native to"? "natural for" or "natural to"? necessary for, in, to, at or by? needy in, of, for, from or by? "negative about", "negative in" or "negative for"? negligent in, of, for, to or about? nervous about, of, at, in or before?

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