egregious

== English == === Etymology === From Latin ēgregius, from e- (“out of”), + grex (“flock”), + English adjective suffix -ous, from Latin suffix -osus (“full of”); reflecting the positive connotations of "standing out from the flock". === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɪˈɡɹiː.d͡ʒəs/, /əˈɡɹiː.d͡ʒi.əs/ Rhymes: -iːdʒəs === Adjective === egregious (comparative more egregious, superlative most egregious) Conspicuous, exceptional, outstanding; usually in a negative sense. 16th century, Christopher Marlowe, Ignoto, I cannot cross my arms, or sigh "Ah me," / "Ah me forlorn!" egregious foppery! / I cannot buss thy fill, play with thy hair, / Swearing by Jove, "Thou art most debonnaire!" 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Games[1] When the goal is simply to be as faithful as possible to the material—as if a movie were a marriage, and a rights contract the vow—the best result is a skillful abridgment, one that hits all the important marks without losing anything egregious. Outrageously bad; shocking. ==== Usage notes ==== The negative meaning arose in the late 16th century, probably originating in ironic sarcasm. Before that, it meant outstanding in a good way. Webster also labels “distinguished” as an archaic meaning, and notes that contemporary usage often has an unpleasant connotation (for example, “an egregious error”). It generally precedes such epithets as ass, blunderer, rascal, and rogue. The Italian as well as Spanish cognate egregio has retained a strictly positive sense, as has the Portuguese cognate egrégio. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== egregia cum laude ==== Translations ==== === References === “egregious”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.