English Explanatory Dictionary

15 minutes of fame

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A very short time in the spotlight or brief flurry with fame, after which the person or subject involved is quickly forgotten.

Pronunciation

en-au-15 minutes of fame.ogg

Word forms

15 minutes of fame

Etymology

First appears c. 1968, although a use in French appears as early as 1821 in Histoire de l'Assemblée constituante by Charles Lacretelle. Often misattributed to Andy Warhol, in a catalogue of an exhibition of his art in Stockholm: “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

Synonyms

15 minutes fifteen minutes moment in the sun

Related words

fifteen minutes of fame legend in one's own lunchtime nine-day wonder one-hit wonder

Derived words

15 megabytes of fame 15 minutes fifteen minutes 15 minutes of shame
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