Meanings
plural renowns
- uncountableusuallyFame; celebrity; wide recognition.
[…] one day local fame would become world renown […]
1985, Lawrence Durrell, chapter 3, in Quinx, New York: Viking, page 634 more examples
She is a theame of honour and renowne, / A ſpurre to valiant and magnanimous deeds, / Whoſe preſent courage may beate downe our foes, / And fame in time to come canonize us, […]
c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: […]
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 16:2[…] Nor envy we / Thy great Renown, nor grudge thy Victory; / 'Tis thine, O King, th' Afflicted to redreſs, / And Fame has fill'd the World with thy Succeſs; […]
1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, book I, page 3There sleep the mighty dead as in life they slept, warriors and princes of high renown.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC - obsoleteuncountableusuallyReports of nobleness or achievements; praise.
[…] She / Is daughter to this famous Duke of Milan, / Of whom so often I have heard renown, / But never saw before;
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchrenoun
- Englishrenown
From Old French renoun (compare with Modern French renom), equivalent to re- + noun.
More words from Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κῦδος, κλέος
- κῦδος (kûdos)Fame or wide recognition
- κλέος (kléos)Fame or wide recognition
Arabic شُهْرة
- شُهْرة (šuhra)Fame or wide recognition
Bulgarian известност, слава
- известност (izvestnost)Fame or wide recognition
- слава (slava)Fame or wide recognition
Chinese 名声, 声望
- 名声 (Míngshēng)Fame or wide recognition
- 声望 (shēngwàng)Fame or wide recognition
- 声威 (shēngweī)Fame or wide recognition
Czech renomé
- renoméFame or wide recognition
Esperanto distingo
- distingoFame or wide recognition
Finnish maine, kuuluisuus
- maineFame or wide recognition
- kuuluisuusFame or wide recognition
French renom, renommée
- renomFame or wide recognition
- renomméeFame or wide recognition
German Ansehen, Ruf
- AnsehenFame or wide recognition
- RufFame or wide recognition
- RuhmFame or wide recognition
Greek φήμη, δόξα
- φήμη (fími)Fame or wide recognition
- δόξα (dóxa)Fame or wide recognition
Hebrew מוֹנִיטִין
- מוֹנִיטִין (monitin)Fame or wide recognition
Hindi यश, वैभव
- यश (yaś)Fame or wide recognition
- वैभव (vaibhav)Fame or wide recognition
- कीर्ति (kīrti)Fame or wide recognition
- प्रसिद्धि (prasiddhi)Fame or wide recognition
- ख्याति (khyāti)Fame or wide recognition
Hungarian hírnév
- hírnévFame or wide recognition
Irish clú, alladh
- clúFame or wide recognition
- alladhFame or wide recognition
Italian rinomanza, celebrità
- rinomanzaFame or wide recognition
- celebritàFame or wide recognition
- famaFame or wide recognition
Latin fāma, celebritas
- fāmaFame or wide recognition
- celebritasFame or wide recognition
Polish renoma
- renomaFame or wide recognition
Portuguese renome
- renomeFame or wide recognition
Romanian renume, faimă
- renumeFame or wide recognition
- faimăFame or wide recognition
Russian изве́стность
- изве́стность (izvéstnostʹ)Fame or wide recognition
Scottish Gaelic cliù
- cliùFame or wide recognition
Spanish renombre, nombradía
- renombreFame or wide recognition
- nombradíaFame or wide recognition
- haoFame or wide recognition
Swedish ryktbarhet, anseende
- ryktbarhetFame or wide recognition
- anseendeFame or wide recognition
- namnkunnighetFame or wide recognition
Tagalog kabalitaan
- kabalitaanFame or wide recognition
Turkish şan, şöhret
- şanFame or wide recognition
- şöhretFame or wide recognition
Ukrainian сла́ва
- сла́ва (sláva)Fame or wide recognition
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with renown
Cite this entry
renown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/renown
“renown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/renown. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “renown,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/renown.
Source: renown on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.