outrageous
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of or involving gross injury or wrong.
an outrageous slander.
-
grossly offensive to the sense of right or decency.
outrageous behavior; an outrageous remark.
-
passing reasonable bounds; intolerable or shocking.
an outrageous price.
- Synonyms:
- appalling, unthinkable
-
violent in action or temper.
-
highly unusual or unconventional; extravagant; remarkable.
a child of the most outrageous precocity; a fancy dive performed with outrageous ease.
adjective
-
being or having the nature of an outrage
-
grossly offensive to decency, authority, etc
-
violent or unrestrained in behaviour or temperament
-
extravagant or immoderate
Related Words
See flagrant.
Other Word Forms
- outrageously adverb
- outrageousness noun
Etymology
Origin of outrageous
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French outrageus. See outrage, -ous
Explanation
Something outrageous is extreme, over the top, beyond reason. It's hard to believe, and usually not in a good way. If the police came in and stole your TV, that would be outrageous. If you know what outrage means, then you're on your way to understanding outrageous. Outrageous things make people outraged, really angry, or astounded because they're just so ridiculous. If your teacher gave everyone an F for no reason, that would be outrageous. If a friend spilled your secrets to everyone: outrageous. Lady Gaga rolling up to the Grammy’s in a giant egg? Totally outrageous, but in a wacky and extravagant kind of way.
Vocabulary lists containing outrageous
The Cay
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Stargirl
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Tears of a Tiger
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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.
Please advise your parents that this is an outrageous sum for less-than-stellar results, and it’s not worth maintaining based on excuses and/or the promise that they will somehow beat the S&P 500 next year.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
The shocking, the outrageous, the disgusting—these are the blue-chip stocks of the attention economy that companies like Kino both propel and rely on.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
“The Importance of Being Ernest” and “Alice’s Adventures Underground,” in 2011 and 2016 respectively, proved each funnier and more outrageous musical spectacle than the last.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
It is "absolutely outrageous" they have been detained, he added.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
I wasn't sure if I actually said something funny, or if he just found Noodles and me asking for nice clothes so outrageous that laughter was the only possible response.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
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.
