egregious

adjective

egre·​gious i-ˈgrē-jəs How to pronounce egregious (audio)
1
: conspicuous
especially : conspicuously bad : flagrant
egregious errors
egregious padding of the evidence 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
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

Etymology

Latin egregius, from e- + greg-, grex herd — more at gregarious

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of egregious was circa 1550

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Cite this Entry

“Egregious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egregious. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

egregious

adjective
egre·​gious i-ˈgrē-jəs How to pronounce egregious (audio)
: very noticeable
especially : glaringly bad
egregious errors
egregiously adverb
egregiousness noun

Legal Definition

egregious

adjective
egre·​gious i-ˈgrē-jəs How to pronounce egregious (audio)
: extremely and conspicuously bad

More from Merriam-Webster on egregious

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