egregious
adjective
Meredith Blake Christopher Hitchens 
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.
Examples of egregious in a Sentence
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
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The most egregious violators have racked up thousands of dollars in unpaid fines for several hundred tickets.
—Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2026
The Anti-SLAPP law exists precisely to stop this kind of egregious retaliation.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Aside from egregious errors, most staffs save challenges for higher-leverage moments later in games.
—Maura Carey, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for egregious
Cite this Entry
“Egregious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egregious. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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egregious
adjective
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egregious
adjective
