egregious
Americanadjective
-
extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.
an egregious mistake; an egregious liar.
- Synonyms:
- shocking, notorious, outrageous, gross
- Antonyms:
- unnoticeable, minor, moderate, tolerable
-
Archaic. distinguished or eminent.
adjective
-
outstandingly bad; flagrant
an egregious lie
-
archaic distinguished; eminent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of egregious
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin ēgregius “preeminent, outstanding,” equivalent to ē- + greg-, stem of grēx “flock” + -ius adjective suffix; see e- 1, -ous
Explanation
Something that is egregious stands out, but not in a good way — it means "really bad or offensive." If you make an egregious error during a championship soccer match, your coach might bench you for the rest of the game. An egregious error is so bad that it might not be forgivable. Some synonyms are appalling and intolerable. The word has made a 180-degree turn from its original sense in Latin, when it meant "exceptionally good." Word historians have speculated that the negative usage was originally meant to be ironic, but it is the only sense that has survived. Be careful not to use it to mean "outstanding," since no one wants to be called egregious.
Vocabulary lists containing egregious
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even more egregious is the case of AI companies buying and destroying rare books en masse in the process of scanning them for data.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Nigerian diplomat Ninikanwa Okey-Uche said her country was "deeply appalled by reports of the egregious police tactics that led to his death" on Thursday.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“This is an egregious loophole we’ve got to close,” Wyden said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
But was it an egregious, personal error, akin to Totenberg stealing into Alito’s hotel room and absconding with an internal organ, as it has been widely treated?
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Ridgeway commanded his appetites in those days, withdrawing before his confederates’ more egregious displays.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
