egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs 
1
: conspicuous
especially
: conspicuously bad : flagrant
egregious errors
egregious padding of the evidence —
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens 2
archaic
: distinguished
egregiously
adverb
egregiousness
noun
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.
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
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
This is an egregious abuse of power by someone sworn to uphold the law.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
But the judge said the criminal conduct in the new case, which began just weeks after Trump commuted Adriana’s prior sentence, was less egregious than the scheme that first landed her in prison, since that case involved selling a counterfeit drink.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
The report recommended that both the civil and criminal divisions of the IRS should be more aggressive with egregious employment tax cases.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Next, will Baltimore City lack the authority to lock up all felonious individuals for serious or egregious violations of the law?
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
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Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
But the judge said the criminal conduct in the new case, which began just weeks after Trump commuted Adriana’s prior sentence, was less egregious than the scheme that first landed her in prison, since that case involved selling a counterfeit drink.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
The report recommended that both the civil and criminal divisions of the IRS should be more aggressive with egregious employment tax cases.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Next, will Baltimore City lack the authority to lock up all felonious individuals for serious or egregious violations of the law?
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
Cite this Entry
“Egregious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egregious. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs
: very noticeable
especially
: glaringly bad
egregious errors
egregiously
adverb
egregiousness
noun
Legal Definition
egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs
: extremely and conspicuously bad
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