ə̇ˈgrējəs, ēˈ- sometimes -jēəs adjective
Etymology: Latin egregius, from e out of (from ex ) + greg-, grex flock, herd — more at ex- , gregarious
1. archaic : remarkable for good quality : distinguished , striking
2. : conspicuous for bad quality or taste : notorious
the egregious epicure who condescended to take only one bite out of the sunny side of a peach — J.G.Lockhart
a bilious combination of brummagem melodrama and synthetic seascapes … the picture is egregious — John McCarten
3.
a. : extraordinary , extreme
a published story which seemed too egregious to be believed — Economist
b. : flagrant
egregious errors
some Germans, conditioned by experience to egregious behavior on the part of their rulers — E.J.Kahn
4. : asocial
it is rather a gregarious instinct to keep together by minding each other's business … we must be preserved from becoming egregious — Robert Frost
• egre·gious·ly adverb
• egre·gious·ness noun -es