egregious
egregious Lexical Profile
egregious Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Outstandingly bad; shocking or flagrant.
"The audit uncovered an egregious accounting error that had gone unnoticed for several years."
Remarkably good or distinguished (archaic).
"Sixteenth-century scholars often praised egregious poets whose works stood out above those of their peers."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although 'egregious' originally meant 'remarkably good,' this positive sense is now obsolete; in modern English, the word is used exclusively to describe errors, offenses, or behaviors that are shockingly bad.
• Rhymes for egregious
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Latin 'egregius' ('illustrious, remarkable'), formed from 'ex' ('out of') and 'grex' ('flock'), literally meaning 'standing out from the flock.' Through ironic use in the late 16th century, its meaning inverted from exceptionally good to flagrantly bad.