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).
彼は悪名高い政治家だ。
He is a notorious politician.
The pirate became notorious throughout the world.
その会社は悪名を残したまま倒産した。
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.
古文書には「悪名を為す」という表現が見られる。
In old documents, the expression 'to commit an evil deed' can be found.
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.
名声 means a good, respected reputation, the opposite of the infamy conveyed by 悪名.
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.