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famous for being famous

famous for being famous

6.6
Known mostly because they are a celebrity, not for any skill
  • idiom
translation icon : famoso por ser famoso
  • "Just as a celebrity is someone famous for being famous, a great trial of the century is famous for being famous," says historian Edward Knappman, editor of the book Great American Trials.

And I went back and I, I said to this Brian, who is OK, I guess he was famous for being famous, you know, for nothing.

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Examples

  • The concept of being famous for being famous has evolved with social media influencers gaining notoriety without clear achievements.

  • And I went back and I, I said to this Brian, who is OK, I guess he was famous for being famous, you know, for nothing.

  • "Just as a celebrity is someone famous for being famous, a great trial of the century is famous for being famous," says historian Edward Knappman, editor of the book Great American Trials.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Many celebrities today are known as famous for being famous, with little talent beyond their public persona.

  • Reality TV stars often become famous for being famous rather than for traditional accomplishments.

Synonyms

famous
vsfamous for being famous
1.0

Many people know them for something good or important

is known mainly because of celebrity image rather than real achievements
famed
vsfamous for being famous
70 3.5

Well known and respected by many people

is known mainly for celebrity status rather than for achievements

Antonyms

34 7.3

Few people know about it

Surface Forms

Morphology

famous + for + being + famous

The sense is directly built from the parts: 'famous' + 'for' (indicating cause) + 'being' + 'famous' yields 'famous because they are famous', a self-referential causal statement implying no other achievements. This compositional, repetitive structure and the causal use of 'for' is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely grasp the meaning.

Etymology

Famous for being famous is a phrase that creates the image of someone who is always on TV and in magazines: they get attention simply because they are seen a lot, not because they did something special. So it means 'known mainly because they are famous', not for real achievements.