The word egregious is one of the most powerful words to describe something you don’t like. Here’s egregious’s meaning and how to use it!
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Kevin
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January 11, 2022
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Common Questions
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Egregious is one of the most confusing words in the English language. While its meaning is relatively well known today, its origin story is confusing and backward. In many ways, the meaning of the word has entirely shifted from what it used to mean in its etymological languages of origin. While many words have a very clear history and background, egregious has a very confusing and fascinating backstory.
Here is why egregious is one of the most exciting words in the dictionary of the English language today. Read on to find out more about its meaning, its etymological history, and how to use it in the world today!
What Does Egregious Mean?
The word egregious (pronunciation: /əˈɡrējəs/) has two primary definitions in the English dictionary today. The first and most commonly recognized definition is using the word as an adjective to describe something overtly negatively. In most contexts, the word egregious is used to describe outstandingly or shockingly bad, like a gross injustice, horrible fraud, or nasty personal injury. It is common to hear about egregious misconduct, an egregious liar, or egregious legal gaps.
However, the exciting thing is that the word egregious actually used to have the opposite definition. In previous English language forms, egregious was attached to the meaning of something being remarkably good. Instead of describing a glaring error or something that happened negatively, writers used egregious to describe unique and special things in their level of goodness.
The fact that the meaning of this word has changed so dramatically clearly shows that the etymology and historical contexts within the English language are significant and exciting.
What Is the Etymology of the Word Egregious?
Like many words in the English lexicon, the word egregious has its origins in Latin. Linguists constructed the original word itself out of two separate Latin words: ex-, which meant “out” or “out of,” and grex, which meant “flock” or “herd.”
When writers used these words together, it translated to the phrase ex grege, which meant “out of the flock.” When this word was created, that meant that something was out of the ordinary and highly unlike anything around it.
The Word’s Use Evolves
When this phrase was initially used commonly, “out of flock” was used to refer to something extraordinary, remarkable, and unique. Many people appreciated this and sought to have this word ascribed to themselves and their possessions.
Over time, linguists turned the phrase into the individual word egregious, which translates into English as “illustrious.” The word had many positive connotations and was an intelligent way to ascribe greatness and worth to something or someone.
In the mid-16th century, around the 1530s specifically, the word was lifted from the Latin language and incorporated into the English language as the word egregious, as we know it today. It was a popular way to ascribe worth and uniqueness to people.
Egregious’s Meaning Changes
However, the word started to acquire its new, less flattering meaning as time went on. Instead of describing uniquely good things, writers used it to describe something uniquely negative. Over the years, almost all positive connotations have been taken away from the word.
Most language scholars agree that this is likely due to many people sarcastically using the term to discuss the gross ineptitude of leaders and the flagrant violation of human rights. While its Latin roots are positive, the Indo-European origins of the word are almost exclusively negative.
Synonyms for the Word Egregious
If you are looking to spice up your vocabulary and learn how to use the word egregious in more contexts, try looking at some of these synonyms found in the thesaurus that you might already know!
- Flagrant
- Outrageous
- Glaring
- Heinous
- Monstrous
- Gross
- Rank
- Atrocious
- Crying shame
- Shocking
- Awful
- Terrible
- Appalling
- Abominable
- Dreadful
- Vile
- Unspeakable
- Grievous
- Scandalous
- Nefarious
- Execrable
- Horrendous
- Wicked
- Despicable
- Deplorable
- Horrible
- Shameful
- Abhorrent
- Arrant
- Contemptible
- Disgraceful
- Infamous
- Inhuman
- Loathsome
- Sinful
- Villainous
- Hateful
- Odious
- Iniquitous
- Unforgivable
- Beastly
- Foul
- Reprehensible
- Vicious
Example Sentences Using Egregious
One of the best ways to learn how to use a word in context is by seeing it in example sentences. It makes it easy to understand what the term looks like in authentic contexts and invites you to start using it in your day-to-day language. Here are some great example sentences to look at for yourself!
- Even though the small businesses were just trying to make ends meet, the egregious action by the copyright holders was incredibly unnecessary.
- The attorney and defendant were both trying to understand how people would believe the egregious lie that was told by the illegally created deepfakes.
- The lawmakers finally listened to the years of activists protesting the rank treachery in the judicial system.
- While many people want to uphold their perspective of American heritage, the reality is that the egregious acts of the past still need to be dealt with.
- While high-speed internet is more of a luxury in a library, the fact that we had to pay ten dollars an hour just for reliable broadband was absolutely egregious.
- The way that Pallone, McNerney, and Doyle protested the egregious lack of resources was genuinely inspirational.
- The students at Princeton University grouped together to mourn the egregious actions taken by the recently fired professor.
- I did my best to slide into her DM’s, but it was an egregious failure if I’m being honest.
Conclusion
When using a word for the first time, it can be hard to use it in the proper context. Luckily, you now know egregious’s meaning, antonyms, and synonyms. Learning new words can be incredibly helpful for balancing your usage of more interesting or flavorful words and further understanding the world around you.
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