egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs 
1
: conspicuous
especially
: conspicuously bad : flagrant
egregious errors
egregious padding of the evidence —
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens 2
archaic
: distinguished
egregiously
adverb
egregiousness
noun
Did you know?
Egregious comes from a Latin word meaning "distinguished" or "eminent." It was once a compliment to someone who had a remarkably good quality that placed him or her above others. Today, the meaning of the word is noticeably less complimentary, possibly as a result of ironic use of its original sense.
Examples of egregious in a Sentence
… the public perception is that too many corporate executives have committed egregious breaches of trust by cooking the books, shading the truth, and enriching themselves with huge stock-option profits while shareholders suffered breathtaking losses.
—John A. Byrne et al., Business Week, 6 May 2002
History cannot be rewritten, but some of its more egregious errors can be corrected—at least in part, at least symbolically. … Or so assume a growing number of human-rights advocates.
—Ellis Cose, Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2001
an egregious example of political bias
the student's theme was marred by a number of egregious errors in spelling
John A. Byrne et al., Business Week, 6 May 2002
History cannot be rewritten, but some of its more egregious errors can be corrected—at least in part, at least symbolically. … Or so assume a growing number of human-rights advocates.
—Ellis Cose, Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2001
an egregious example of political bias
the student's theme was marred by a number of egregious errors in spelling
Recent Examples on the Web
Its egregious snub in the Oscars’ best-documentary category led to a change in the nominating process.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025
At first glance, that sort of redundancy might sound egregious, given both films are in the English language and feature the same general premise of a 29-year-old woman facing personal and professional crossroads.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The last Justice Department was probably a little bit egregious.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
But this time really should be different; democracy in Illinois is badly undermined by such egregious gerrymandering.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
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Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025
At first glance, that sort of redundancy might sound egregious, given both films are in the English language and feature the same general premise of a 29-year-old woman facing personal and professional crossroads.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The last Justice Department was probably a little bit egregious.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
But this time really should be different; democracy in Illinois is badly undermined by such egregious gerrymandering.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
Cite this Entry
“Egregious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egregious. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs
: very noticeable
especially
: glaringly bad
egregious errors
egregiously
adverb
egregiousness
noun
Legal Definition
egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs
: extremely and conspicuously bad
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