Egregious definition: bad enough that everyone notices

The egregious meaning: bad and conspicuous

One line to define egregious: it labels something bad that is also conspicuous. Both parts matter. A hidden error is not egregious, however serious, until it comes to light and looks obviously wrong. A visible error that is tiny is not egregious either.

Typical targets of the word are mistakes, abuses of power, breaches of rules, waste of money, unfair decisions and bad behaviour. It carries a note of disapproval and often outrage.

Egregious in sentences

• Charging a patient twice for the same scan was an egregious billing error.
• The report listed several egregious safety failures at the factory.
• Leaving the spelling of the client's name wrong on the cover page was the most egregious slip in the proposal.
• Critics called the new parking fines egregiously high.
• Even by the standards of that comedy show, the joke was egregious.

From praise to blame: the history of the egregious definition

Egregious comes from Latin egregius, built from the phrase ex grege, "out of the flock". A Latin speaker would use it for someone who stood above the herd, someone distinguished or excellent. English borrowed it in the 1530s with that positive sense: an egregious scholar was an eminent one.

From the late 1500s, writers began using it ironically, much as we might call a terrible idea "brilliant" with a raised eyebrow. The ironic, negative sense slowly took over, and the old sense of distinguished is now obsolete. The idea of "standing out" survived; only the direction changed. The same Latin grex appears in gregarious, liking company, and congregation, a gathered flock of people.

How to use egregious

Egregious usually goes before a noun: an egregious error, egregious misconduct, an egregious example of waste, an egregious violation of the rules. It can follow a linking verb too: "The delay was egregious."

The adverb egregiously intensifies other words: egregiously unfair, egregiously expensive, egregiously late. The noun egregiousness exists but is rare outside formal writing.

Because the word is strong, using it for small problems can sound like exaggeration, a little like hyperbole. Save it for cases where the fault is clear and serious.

Egregious, flagrant, blatant and glaring

A flagrant foul is done openly. An egregious foul is extremely bad. Often both are true at once. For milder or hidden harm, words like insidious (gradual and sneaky) or nefarious (wicked) may fit better.

Newsrooms, courtrooms and review columns

News reporters use egregious for scandals and failures of public bodies. Lawyers and judges use it for conduct that is especially serious, such as an egregious breach of duty. Reviewers use it for bad acting, plot holes or overpriced menus. In casual chat it is less common, though some people use it playfully: "Putting pineapple on that pizza is egregious."

On both sides of the world, from Delhi to Denver, the word mostly appears in written and formal English, so it is worth knowing for exams, editorials and office reports. For other forceful adjectives, browse everyday vocabulary.