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
- egregiously adverb
- egregiousness noun
- nonegregious adjective
- nonegregiously adverb
- nonegregiousness noun
- unegregious adjective
- unegregiously adverb
- unegregiousness noun
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.
And it would operate like one too, allowing defense contractors to engage in even egregious acts of wrongdoing in the middle of wartime and be shielded from the consequences of their actions.
From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026
“When inflation is taken into account, it’s not nearly as egregious as it seems,” Taylor said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
"You cannot equate what is totally natural - that 10% of the population loves the same sex - with egregious crime," he told the BBC.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Successfully prosecuted cases of the most egregious offenders are a deterrent, and when government resources to enforce the laws are weakened, “it has to undermine confidence in the tax system.”
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
How had I made such an egregious mistake?
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
