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
And then reality crashes down around them in a series of scenes that expose the cruel hypocrisy of Iran’s corrupt system (which purports to uphold morality, but allows men in positions of authority to indulge themselves in egregious ways).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 July 2025
Juliana Reed, the executive director of the nonprofit Biosimilars Forum, highlighted a particularly egregious example involving the blockbuster autoimmune drug Humira, which has 10 biosimilar competitors—that collectively account for less than 10% of U.S. market share.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
In one of the most egregious examples, six infants died and some 300,000 others were sickened by milk powder formula containing the toxic industrial chemical melamine.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
This was an egregious set of facts that resulted in a conviction along with a 10-15-year prison sentence.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
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Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 July 2025
Juliana Reed, the executive director of the nonprofit Biosimilars Forum, highlighted a particularly egregious example involving the blockbuster autoimmune drug Humira, which has 10 biosimilar competitors—that collectively account for less than 10% of U.S. market share.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
In one of the most egregious examples, six infants died and some 300,000 others were sickened by milk powder formula containing the toxic industrial chemical melamine.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
This was an egregious set of facts that resulted in a conviction along with a 10-15-year prison sentence.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 3 July 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 21 Jul. 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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