From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe a byword for somethingbe a byword for somethingFAMOUSto be so well known for a particular quality that your name is used to represent that quality His name has become a byword for honesty in the community. → byword
Examples from the Corpus
be a byword for something• For Americans, Benedict Arnold is a byword for treason.• Britain was a byword for strikes. 