also: あくみょう
bad reputation; notoriety; ill repute
Refers to a widely known negative reputation or infamy. Commonly used in phrases like 悪名高い (notorious).
He is a notorious politician.
The company went bankrupt leaving behind a bad reputation.
evil deed; wrongdoing; wrongdoer
Only with reading あくみょう
Archaic sense, now largely obsolete. Used in classical or historical contexts to refer to a wicked act or a person who commits such acts. Only read as あくみょう.
In old documents, the expression 'to commit an evil deed' can be found.
The pirate became notorious throughout the world.
He is a dictator who left a bad reputation in history.
The company earned a bad reputation for its fraudulent dealings.
汚名 emphasizes a lasting stigma or disgrace attached to one's name, whereas 悪名 simply denotes being widely known for bad behavior.
infamous; notorious
Standard kanji spelling; reading is usually あくめい.
Archaic reading for the 'evil deed/wrongdoer' sense; not used in modern Japanese for the 'bad reputation' sense.
Compound of 悪 (aku, 'bad') and 名 (mei, 'name'). The reading あくみょう is the older go-on reading of the second character, now archaic.