Egregious and gregarious are two words that are sometimes confused. We will examine the definitions of the words egregious and gregarious, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Egregious means shockingly bad, outstandingly terrible. The word egregious is reserved for the most disgusting or offensive behavior. Egregious is derived from the Latin word egregius which means extraordinary or distinguished. Interestingly, the word egregious was once used to mean something that is strikingly good, however, the current meaning of egregious is exactly the opposite. Related words are egregiousness and egregiously.
Gregarious means friendly, outgoing, someone who is sociable and enjoys the company of other people. The word gregarious is derived from the Latin word gregarius which means relating to flocking together, tendency to herd together. Related words are gregariousness and gregariously.
Examples
Swayze called the breach “the most egregious disclosure of confidential information I have ever encountered in nine years serving as an integrity commissioner.” (The Ottawa Sun)
First, the Court highlighted HHS’s problematic conduct, noting that “what the agency did here constitutes an egregious example of intransigence and deception, not just with regard to the bidder, but to the GAO and to the court.” (The National Law Review)
“These victims might be lonely or distanced from their family, making it easy for a gregarious criminal to charm them and trick them into handing them a personal check.” (The New Haven Register)
Former Minnesota Twins reliever and two-time World Series winner — with the 1984 Detroit Tigers and the 1987 Minnesota Twins — Juan “Señor Smoke” Berenguer brought his gregarious personality to the second annual West Central Area Baseball Boosters golf tournament Sunday, hosted by Tipsinah Mounds Golf Course. (The Fergus Falls Journal)