Definition

1. Noun:
   • The state of being known to or observed by the public: The quality or condition of being open to public view, knowledge, or attention.
   • Information or promotional material disseminated to attract public attention: A message, campaign, or activity intended to make a product, person, cause, or institution known to the public.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The celebrity avoided publicity after the scandal. (The celebrity avoided being in the public eye after the scandal.)
  • The new policy was given widespread publicity in the media. (Information about the new policy was widely spread in the media.)
  • The company launched a publicity campaign for its latest product. (The company started a promotional campaign to attract attention to its latest product.)

Advanced Usage

• "To court publicity": To deliberately seek or attract public attention.
  • The politician seemed to court publicity with his controversial statements.
• "To give publicity to": To make something publicly known; to promote or advertise something.
  • The newspaper gave publicity to the local charity event.
• "Bad/negative publicity": Public attention that harms a reputation.
  • The product recall generated a lot of bad publicity for the brand.

Variants and Related Words

• Publicize (verb): To make something known to the public; to advertise.
  • They hired a firm to publicize the film.
• Public (adjective): Of or concerning the people as a whole; open to or shared by all the people.
  • The meeting will be held in a public space.

Synonyms

• Exposure: The state of being exposed to public attention.
• Promotion: The activity of making something more widely known or popular.
• Advertising: The activity of producing advertisements for commercial products or services.

Related Phrases

• Publicity stunt: A planned event designed to attract public attention.
  • The CEO's dramatic arrival was a clever publicity stunt.
• Publicity seeker: A person who tries to attract public attention.
  • He was often dismissed as a mere publicity seeker.

Related Idioms

• "There's no such thing as bad publicity": A saying suggesting that any public attention, even negative, is beneficial because it makes people aware of someone or something.
  • The scandal hurt, but the actor's agent said, "There's no such thing as bad publicity."

Noun

1. the quality of being open to public view
   • the publicity of the court room
2. a message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution
   • the packaging of new ideas