egregious
- Outstandingly bad or shocking; conspicuously offensive.
In a sentence
- The referee made an egregious error that cost the home team the match.
- Her egregious disregard for the rules resulted in immediate suspension.
Usage note. Meaning shift warning: 'egregious' once meant 'remarkably good' (Latin), but it now means the opposite—remarkably bad. Using it positively today reads as an error.
Where it comes from
English egregious — “outstandingly bad” · entered English 16th c.
From Latin 'egregius', meaning 'distinguished, eminent, outstanding', composed of 'e-' (out of) and 'grex/gregis' (flock, herd). Originally a positive term meaning 'standing out from the herd', it underwent pejoration and came to mean shockingly bad by the 16th–17th centuries. Source: Oxford English Dictionary, Etymonline.