How to Pronounce the Word ‘Egregious’

How to Pronounce the Word ‘Egregious’

Checkout this video:

Etymology of ‘Egregious’

Egregious is derived from the Latin word egregius, meaning “outstanding” or “distinguished.” The word first appeared in English in the early 15th century and has been used to describe both good and bad things since then.

The word’s original meaning was positive, but it began to be used more frequently in a negative context in the late 18th century. Today, egregious is most often used to describe something that is shockingly bad.

The Various Ways to Pronounce ‘Egregious’

Egregious can be pronounced several ways, including EE-gruh-juhs, ih-GREDZH-uhs, and ih-GREE-juhs. While all three are correct pronunciations, the first pronunciation is most commonly used in American English, while the second and third pronunciations are more commonly used in British English.

The word ‘egregious’ has Latin roots and comes from the word ‘egregius’, which means ‘outstanding or distinguished in a bad way’. It can be used to describe someone who has done something shockingly bad or wrong, or it can be used to describe something that is extremely bad or wrong.

When to Use ‘Egregious’

Egregious is an adjective that most frequently shows up in negative contexts, where it means “flagrant” or “outrageous.” An egregious mistake is a terrible one, and an egregious liar is a real whopper-teller. Egregiousness can be a virtue, as when we speak of someone’s egregious kindness, but this meaning is less common.

The Latin roots of the word are e-, meaning “out of,” and greg-, meaning “flock.” flock can refer to a group of animals, as in a flock of sheep, or a group of people, as in a flock of tourists. In Old French it acquired the additional meanings “crowd” and “ multitude,” and in Middle English it came to mean “company, host.” In each step along the way the word maintained its essential sense of “group.” When English speakers began using egregious in the 1500s, they were borrowing a word that already had hundreds of years of history behind it.

Examples of ‘Egregious’ in a Sentence

Egregious is most commonly used to describe actions or behavior that are shockingly bad or offensive. It can be used to describe everything from crimes and disasters to horrible customer service.

Here are some examples of egregious in a sentence:

The company’s CEO was charged with an egregious case of fraud.

The terrorist attack was an egregious act of violence.

The team made an egregious error that cost them the game.