publicity
puhb-LIH-sih-tee
Publicity (noun) means Promotional activity intended to attract public attention to something. Example: “The band hired an agency to handle publicity for their new album.”
noun
1
Promotional activity intended to attract public attention to something.
"The band hired an agency to handle publicity for their new album."
"The film's release was backed by a huge publicity campaign."
"Winning the award brought the small charity a lot of publicity."
2
The state of being known about or noticed by the public, for better or worse.
"After the mix-up, the restaurant suffered some very unwelcome publicity online."
"Some celebrities love publicity, while others do everything they can to avoid it."
"The scandal generated publicity the senator would rather have avoided."
How to use publicity
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAttention from the public — usually attention a company or person is actively trying to create.
Common pairings
publicity campaign
seek publicity
bad publicity
publicity stunt
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Word forms
- Plural
- publicities
Fill the gap
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The band hired an agency to handle _____ for their new album.
Etymology
From French publicité, ultimately from Latin publicus, "public."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for publicity
See all rhymes for publicity →Frequently asked questions
What does “publicity” mean?
The word “publicity” means promotional activity intended to attract public attention to something. In plain terms, attention from the public — usually attention a company or person is actively trying to create.
How do you pronounce “publicity”?
“Publicity” is pronounced puhb-LIH-sih-tee (/pʌbˈlɪsɪti/ in IPA).
How do you use “publicity” in a sentence?
Here is “publicity” used in a sentence: “The film's release was backed by a huge publicity campaign.”
What part of speech is “publicity”?
“Publicity” is a noun.
Where does the word “publicity” come from?
The word “publicity” comes from Latin. From French publicité, ultimately from Latin publicus, "public.".
Is “publicity” a common word?
“Publicity” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “publicity” have?
“Publicity” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: promotional activity intended to attract public attention to something.
What is the difference between "publicity" and "advertising"?
Advertising is promotion that a company pays for directly, such as commercials and paid posts, while publicity is public attention itself — coverage, mentions, and word of mouth — which can be earned rather than bought. Publicity can also be negative, whereas advertising is controlled by whoever pays for it.
What is the difference between "publicity" and "public relations"?
Public relations (PR) is the broader practice of managing how an organization is perceived, while publicity is one of its outcomes: actual public attention, such as press coverage. A PR team works to win good publicity and to limit bad publicity.
Is "publicity" countable or uncountable?
"Publicity" is an uncountable noun, so it has no plural and never takes "a" — you say "the campaign attracted a lot of publicity", not "a publicity" or "publicities". Quantify it with words like "much", "little", or "a great deal of".
