world-renowned

IPA/ˌwɜːld.rɪˈnaʊnd/
IPA/ˌwɝːld.rɪˈnaʊnd/

world-renowned — adjective

1. known in many countries for excellent work, skill, or achievements in a particul

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

known in many countries for excellent work, skill, or achievements in a particular field

Example

The world-renowned surgeon trained young doctors at the city hospital.

attributive: world-renowned + profession

Kemi is world-renowned for her studies of desert plants.

world-renowned for [field of work]

Common collocations
  • world-renowned chef
  • world-renowned scientist
  • world-renowned museum
  • world-renowned for
  • world-renowned as
Synonyms
  • famous

    broader and more neutral; it can describe wide recognition without the same sense of respect

  • renowned

    very close in meaning, but it does not always stress worldwide scope

  • celebrated

    more formal and often suggests strong public praise or honor

  • well-known

    weaker in scope; it can describe local or regional recognition

Antonyms
  • unknown

    not recognized by the wider public

  • obscure

    not widely noticed, often outside specialist circles

Grammar Patterns

world-renowned + noun

be world-renowned for [achievement or field]

be world-renowned as [role or institution]

Usage Note

Usually describes people, groups, or places whose reputation reaches far beyond one country. It is stronger than well-known and often appears in formal writing about respected skill or achievement.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is world-renowned in our neighborhood bakery.
My uncle is well-known at our neighborhood bakery.
world-renowned implies recognition across many countries, not only within a small local area.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Famous is the broadest word in this group. It simply means many people know the person or thing, and it can be positive, negative, or neutral. Renowned is closer to admiration: it usually suggests real respect for talent, quality, or achievement. World-renowned adds one more idea on top of that respect: the reputation has spread across many countries, not just one region. Celebrated is also positive, but it often sounds more formal and can suggest public honor or praise. Well-known is the weakest in scope, because someone can be well-known in one town, school, or profession without being famous everywhere. Use world-renowned when you want to stress both high respect and international reach, as in a world-renowned scientist or museum.

famous ↗renowned ↗celebrated ↗well-known ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • world-renowned for
  • world-renowned as
  • world-renowned expert
  • world-renowned institution

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishFrenchLatinModern English

World-renowned is a modern English compound built from world and renowned. It developed to describe a person, place, or organization whose good reputation has spread far beyond one country. The second part, renowned, comes from an older French and Latin line connected with the idea of a name being widely spoken about.