egregious

[ih-gree-juhs, -jee-uhs]

adjective

1. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.

   an egregious mistake; an egregious liar.

   Synonyms: shocking, notorious, outrageous, gross
   Antonyms: unnoticeable, minor, moderate, tolerable

2. Archaic.,  distinguished or eminent.

egregious

/ -dʒɪəs, ɪˈɡriːdʒəs /

adjective

1. outstandingly bad; flagrant

   an egregious lie

2. archaic,  distinguished; eminent

Other Word Forms

• egregiously adverb
• egregiousness noun
• nonegregious adjective
• nonegregiously adverb
• nonegregiousness noun
• unegregious adjective
• unegregiously adverb
• unegregiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of egregious¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin ēgregius “preeminent, outstanding,” equivalent to ē- + greg-, stem of grēx “flock” + -ius adjective suffix; e- ¹, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of egregious¹

C16: from Latin ēgregius outstanding (literally: standing out from the herd), from ē- out + grex flock, herd

Example Sentences

Proven incidents of teams circumventing the cap are few, with a violation by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 serving as the most egregious.

From Los Angeles Times

The Echo reported that Caroline Goodwin KC, defence counsel for Morgan, told the judge that the post was in her analysis "appalling, outrageous and egregious" and that Jenrick "should know better".

From BBC

The lawyers also argued that the multi-million punitive damages award should be discarded or significantly reduced because such punishment requires clear evidence of "egregious wrongdoing" by the manufacturer.

From BBC

Sheinbaum has said repeatedly that her government views any unilateral U.S. action on Mexican territory as an egregious violation of sovereignty.

From Los Angeles Times

Like last year, Brady can’t “egregiously criticize officials,” said McCarthy, who added there were no issues along those lines in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocious 
• deplorable 
• extreme 
• flagrant 
• glaring 
• grievous 
• heinous 
• intolerable 
• nefarious 
• scandalous 
• shocking