Definition of egregious
1 archaic : distinguished
2 : conspicuous; especially : conspicuously bad : flagrant egregious errors egregious padding of the evidence — Christopher Hitchens
egregiously
adverbegregiousness
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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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If and when this takes effect, the U.S. will join Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries not party to the deal—an egregious snub to the world, for a number of reasons.
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But with the help of computer technology, there is hope that the most egregious criminals can be identified and brought to justice.
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In a handful of egregious cases, employers held workers in indentured servitude, demanded kickbacks, failed to provide free lodging and skimped on wages, according to court records.
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And there is no more egregious leader in this movement than Kris Kobach, the Kansas Secretary of State, to lead the commission.
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Most egregious, Kravitz said, was that Bridgeforth focused his crime on one particular neighborhood.
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Massachusetts also purges from its website board orders for some egregious cases, the Boston Globe has reported.
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Even doctors with egregious violations are allowed to redeem themselves through education and treatment centers, which have quietly proliferated over the past two decades.
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This type of egregious behavior will be prosecuted swiftly by my office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'egregious'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
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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