×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Reputation

Reputation

Reputation

(OP)

Can there be a "bad reputation" ? To my understanding reputation means regard, repute, high status, stature, ability, standing, esteem, high quality of character, high rank, prestige as through success or wealth, high level of achievement, etc.

Is it right to speak of a bad reputation in the sense of dishonor, disgrace, discredit, spoiled notoriety, and so forth, as it would be when saying "bad quality" ? It seems to me these figures of speech are oxymoronic.

Kindly elaborate.

RE: Reputation

Repute <> Reputation

The positive connotation is only one of several available.  Check your dictionary.

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Reputation

I think of reputation as neutral but preceding certainty for the new audience. It follows that someone or thing may be regarded to come with a reputation, good bad or ugly (sorry, couldn't resist) for whatever it is they or it does.

RE: Reputation

It seems that the trend, at least in American English, and one that I do not care for, is for words of general import to take on specialized meanings.

"Attitude", for example, is one that now has a negative connotation, even though it is supposed to be a neutral word.  To you and me, the opposite of attitude is apathy; to modern usage, the opposite of attitude is a good attitude.

I have been on flights that were delayed because the destination city was experiencing "weather".  I hope so.

Perhaps "reputation" is enjoying similar treatment.

Regards,
William

RE: Reputation

(OP)
It could be if one bases oneself on the adjective "reputable" which appears to always have a positive (beneficial) connotation.

RE: Reputation

Some time ago I read of "litigation-proof" phrases one could use in giving references, such as

"I give this person my unqualified recommendation."

or

"This person has certainly earned his reputation and deserves all he has coming to him."

Regards,
William

RE: Reputation

Main Entry: rep·u·ta·tion
Pronunciation: "re-py&-'tA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English reputacioun, from Latin reputation-, reputatio consideration, from reputare
1 a : overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general b : recognition by other people of some characteristic or ability <has the reputation of being clever>

RE: Reputation

Hope I never hear Thumb Rule.  Sounds dumb.  Just like "she has an attitude."  This always irritates me because everyone has an attitude and I agree with weh3 about whether there is weather because I hope so also.

If something is lacking in quality, would it not be considered bad quality?  Are there not degrees of quality but then maybe it should only be on a scale of 1-10 on the good side with no shades of darkness i.e. in the negative spectrum.

I have no problem with modifiers for reputation or quality.  Just don't put modifiers on unique and I'll be happy.

RE: Reputation

Just because "reputation" and "reputable" have the same root doesn't mean they both need to have the same positive connotation.  Another related word, "repute", is hardly universally positive either.  (Just think "house of ill repute".)

The root in question, incidentally, has to do with reckoning, not with goodness, so if you're going to argue for the positive meaning of "reputation" you might not want to take the etymological tack--or else take the radical step of actually LOOKING UP the etymology before you try to use it as part of your argument.

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Reputation

(OP)

Thanks to HgTX and others. I got the idea.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources