egregious

adjective

egre·​gious i-ˈgrē-jəs 

1

: very noticeable

especially : glaringly bad

egregious errors

egregious misconduct

Is there one lie that seems to be the most repeated or, in your view, is the most egregious?

—Meredith Blake

egregious padding of the evidence

—Christopher Hitchens

2

archaic : distinguished

egregiously adverb

egregiousness noun

Did you know?

Some words originally used for animals that gather in flocks have been herded into use for people, too. The Latin word grex means “flock,” “herd,” or “group,” and is the root of several English words, including gregarious, which originally meant “tending to live in a flock, herd, or community rather than alone” but has become a synonym for “sociable,” and egregious. The Latin forebear of egregious, egregius, literally meant “out of the herd” but was used figuratively to mean “outstanding in one’s field.” Egregious entered English in the 16th century with that same, now-obsolete meaning, but over time gained a sense meaning “conspicuously bad” or “flagrant,” possibly as a result of ironic use of its original sense.

Synonyms of egregious

• blatant
• obvious
• glaring
• gross

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

Socialists like to spend money — lots of other people’s money, of course — and Mamdani has been hampered by the fiscal stewards of Albany who, thankfully for New York City, aren’t likely to allow his more egregious schemes that would only drive away more of the city’s crucial affluent class. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026

In one egregious example, the Dallas Mavericks rested healthy players in the last game of the 2023 regular season despite having a chance to make the playoffs, and they were hit with a $750,000 fine. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026

The group is seeking compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages against LAPD Officer Rick Linton for egregious misconduct and causing physical and psychological pain, lawyers representing the three men said at an April news conference. —Ryanne Mena, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026

Intuit’s behavior has been particularly egregious. —Binyamin Appelbaum, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for egregious

• aegis

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Kids 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