repute
repute — noun
1. the overall opinion or judgment that people in general have about a person, grou
the overall opinion or judgment that people in general have about a person, group, or thing — based on what others say and past experience rather than direct knowledge.
The old hotel has an ill repute among travelers because of its poor hygiene record.
ill repute (bad reputation)
Beatrix is a surgeon of high repute in the field of pediatric cardiology.
of high repute (prepositional modifier)
Despite the company's global repute, local customers complained about product delays.
Judge Sirin is a woman of repute whose legal writings are studied across the nation.
The university's strong repute attracted research funding from around the world.
- reputation
neutral, everyday equivalent; far more common across registers
- standing
emphasises social or professional position rather than general opinion
- fame
strongly positive and usually implies wide public awareness
- name
informal; 'making a name for oneself' focuses on personal achievement rather than others' judgment
- disrepute
the state of being held in low or bad regard; the opposite condition
文法句型
of repute (prepositional phrase)
ill/good/high repute (adjective + noun)
用法筆記
More formal and slightly dated than 'reputation'. Common in fixed phrases like 'of repute', 'ill repute', and 'by repute'. Unlike 'reputation', 'repute' is rarely used with the indefinite article ('a repute' is non-standard).
常見錯誤
repute — verb
1. to be generally believed or considered to have a particular quality, status, or
to be generally believed or considered to have a particular quality, status, or fact — used almost exclusively in the passive voice when reporting what many people think without the speaker needing to verify it.
The temple is reputed to be over a thousand years old by local historians.
be reputed + to-infinitive (passive pattern)
Samir is reputed as one of the best violin teachers in the city.
be reputed + as (describing role)
The spice market is reputed to sell the freshest saffron in the region.
Wei is reputed to have climbed Mount Everest before turning twenty.
The villa is reputed to contain hidden tunnels beneath its main courtyard.
文法句型
be reputed + to-infinitive
be reputed + as + noun phrase
be reputed + to be + adjective/noun
用法筆記
Almost always passive. The active form 'someone reputes that…' is extremely rare in modern English. The subject is typically a place (temple, market), a person, or an institution. The speaker using 'repute' distances themselves from the claim — compare with 'is said to' (neutral) or 'is alleged to' (legal context).