Dictionary

unfame en · NOUN

Etymology

From un- (“lack of; negative”) + fame.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Lack or absence of fame; negative fame; infamy
   • Claim to unfame: Got honorable mention in Worst-Smelling Bad Guy of the Year contest 2015, Greg Trine, The Revenge of the McNasty Brothers:
   • I said, 'Yes he is.' And he said, 'I suppose I should know who you are, but I'm afraid I don't. Ha, ha, ha. ' And from then on, throughout the journey he made jokes to his chum next to him about my degree of unfame, and when they got up he took a full proper look at me and said, 'No, I still don't know who he is', quite openly to his friend, who found it very funny. 1990, Simon Callow, Dušan Makavejev, Shooting the Actor, Or, The Choreography of Confusion:
   • Know a king to be the adorner of the earth, the earth the adorner of a king, — the Devs the adorners of the heavens, the heavens the adorners of the Devs, — fame is the destroyer of unfame, unfame the destroyer of fame, — [...] 1872, James Burgess, The Indian Antiquary - Volume 1:
   • What particularly riled me was his assertion that certain poets chose un-fame so that they could write sloppily .. 2014, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Stephen Bann, Midway: Letters from Ian Hamilton Finlay to Stephen Bann 1964-69:
   • Though I see your point, and fate will not deny Jackie's reward, which is immense, and he must bear the brunt of outward earthy unfame, it be so, bad boy, etc. 2003, Gregory Corso, Bill Morgan, An Accidental Autobiography: The Selected Letters of Gregory Corso:

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