Definition of EGREGIOUS (original) (raw)
1
especially : conspicuously bad : flagrant
egregious padding of the evidence —
Christopher Hitchens
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.
Synonyms
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 Davis and Muir's fact-checks were sporadic but effective, tamping down Trump's most egregious inventions. —Judy Berman, TIME, 11 Sep. 2024 One of the movie’s most egregious errors is its depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, which ended in a decisive Scottish victory on September 11, 1297. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Sep. 2024 Drake … Lil Wayne not to be performing in New Orleans for the Super Bowl is egregious and it’s gotta stop. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Sep. 2024 Ellison killed the most egregious psychopath among a clan of murderous brothers, who are now galloping across entire prairies to get revenge; there could be a fun parlor game counting up the Westerns based on this configuration. —Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for egregious 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'egregious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Dictionary Entries Near egregious
Cite this Entry
“Egregious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egregious. Accessed 27 Sep. 2024.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on egregious
Last Updated: 23 Sep 2024 - Definition revised
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!