Definition of egregious
1 archaic : distinguished
2 : conspicuous; especially : conspicuously bad : flagrant egregious errors egregious padding of the evidence — Christopher Hitchens
egregiously
adverbegregiousness
nounFrom the M-W Editors
egregious was our Word of the Day on 11/10/2014. Hear the podcast!
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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 of egregious from the web
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But often, some of the more egregious behavior takes place months and years later, when the cameras have moved on.
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Paul Shechtman, a lawyer for Mr. Liang, argued in court that there had never been a manslaughter case in New York in which the allegations were less egregious and the conduct less blameworthy.
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The rules were simple: Each game went to 21 points, and only the most egregious fouls were called.
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Rights groups believe that many suspected of being militants are held at Al-Azouly military prison in Ismailia, a secretive site that the groups say is a center of some of the most egregious abuses.
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Three years after Miller left the MLBPA, so began the most egregious case of collusion in sports.
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And what this investigation would determine, essentially, was whether Willms, the white-hot e-commerce whiz, was actually one of the most egregious scammers in the history of the Internet.
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Our food correspondent's list of the more egregious gastronomical happenings of the year.
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But the most egregious offender might also be one of the most enduringly popular: pumpkin, which finds its flavor (canned, mashed, candied) seeping into just about everything from October 31 to Christmas Day, from bread to coffee to beer.
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Did You Know?
Egregious derives from the Latin word egregius, meaning "distinguished" or "eminent." In its earliest English uses, egregious was a compliment to someone who had a remarkably good quality that placed him or her eminently above others. That's how English philosopher and theorist Thomas Hobbes used it in flattering a colleague when he remarked, "I am not so egregious a mathematician as you are." Since Hobbes' day, however, the meaning of the word has become noticeably less complimentary, possibly as a result of ironic use of its original sense.
Origin and Etymology of egregious
Latin egregius, from e- + greg-, grex herd — more at gregarious
First Known Use: circa 1534
EGREGIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
egregious
playDefinition of egregious for English Language Learners
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: very bad and easily noticed
Law Dictionary
egregious
playLegal Definition of egregious
: extremely and conspicuously bad
Learn More about egregious
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for egregious Spanish Central: Translation of egregious Nglish: Translation of egregious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of egregious for Arabic speakers
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