egregious

Definitions

e- (out of) + greg (flock) + -ious (adj.) = 'standing out from the herd.' In Latin this was praise — distinguished, excellent. English used it sarcastically so often that the irony froze: today egregious means outstandingly BAD, not good.

Why It Means This

Few words have flipped meaning so completely. Latin egregius literally meant 'out of the flock' (e- + grex) — to rise above the common herd, hence distinguished, excellent. For centuries English used it as praise. But speakers loved saying it with a sneer — 'oh, an egregious example of generosity' meaning the opposite — and the sarcasm wore the word down until 'standing out' came to mean standing out for being terrible. The praise curdled into condemnation, and only the negative sense survives today.

Common Collocations

• 1.egregious error严重错误
• 2.egregious violation恶劣的违规
• 3.egregious example恶劣的范例
• 4.egregious behavior恶劣的行为

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The report exposed several egregious errors in the company's accounts.

• 2.

  Cheating on the exam was an egregious violation of the rules.

• 3.

  It was the most egregious lie I had ever heard.

Easily Confused

egregious vs flagrant vs blatant — All describe wrongdoing that's impossible to ignore. egregious stresses how bad it is (an egregious error). flagrant stresses open defiance (a flagrant breach of the law). blatant stresses how obvious and shameless it is (a blatant lie). Something can be all three at once.