Words / C2

i-GREEJ-uh-s/ɪˈɡriːdʒəs/

Egregious means extremely bad in a way nobody can miss — a glaring fault. Use it instead of bad or awful for errors, abuses, or omissions that should have been obvious. It can appear in speech as strong criticism, but it still sounds formal; shocking or blatant is plainer.

Meaning

Extremely bad in a way that is obvious.

Examples

• “That was an egregious error in the report.”
• “Ignoring the safety check was an egregious lapse.”
• “The translation contained egregious howlers.”

Good to know

Shockingly obvious and bad. Everyday: blatant.

Near in meaning

blatant

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