What does notability mean?
Notability is the noun form of notable and means the condition of being well known, conspicuous, or important enough to attract attention. It can describe a person who has become prominent, a work or event that is widely recognized, or the quality that gives something a memorable public presence. The word is more formal and abstract than fame: fame usually suggests broad or lasting renown, while notability can refer more generally to an ability to stand out or attract notice. It is often used in discussions of public visibility, cultural significance, and the reception of creative or historical work. Although notability can result from achievement, controversy, unusual personal qualities, or distinctive circumstances, it primarily means that someone or something is no longer overlooked.
nounThe quality or state of being notable, especially of being sufficiently well known or important to attract attention. It can also refer to the capacity of a person or thing to stand out from ordinary things.
- The state or quality of being well known, important, or conspicuous.
- The capacity of a person, work, event, or thing to attract attention or stand out.
"The artist's unusual background gave her a degree of notability that ordinary publicity could not have provided."
"The scandal brought the obscure athlete an unexpected level of notability."
"The building's striking design contributes to its notability in the town centre."
The plural is used when referring to multiple people or things that possess notability.
"The exhibition explored the notabilities of women in the movement."
Notability is the hidden advantage of being impossible to overlook: even a modest achievement can gain unusual reach when it makes a person stand out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does notability come from?
Notability was formed in the early 19th century from the adjective notable and the suffix -ity, meaning the state or quality of being something. Notable comes through French from Latin notabilis, derived from notare, meaning to mark or to make known. Related words such as notation, notify, and notification also derive from the same Latin family of words associated with marking, noting, and making something known.
Related word forms
How notability is actually used
Notability is formal and comparatively uncommon in everyday conversation. It is often used when discussing a person's public prominence, an event's visibility, or the quality that makes something memorable and distinctive.
Easily confused with notability
Notability is the noun meaning prominence or the quality of being notable, while notable is the adjective describing someone or something that attracts attention.
Notability is distinct from notification, which is the act of giving someone information or warning them of something.