Egregious A Word That Has Reversed Its Meaning
@arthurchappell (45002)
Preston, England
August 16, 2018 1:21pm CST
Barely a news report about Donald Trump goes by without the reporters using the word egregious. From barely seeing the word at all, I find it now turns up several times a day.
The odd part about it is the word has come to mean exactly the opposite to what it was originally coined for.
Egregious means simply outstanding, exceptional, and beyond anything that went before. The word used to be an enormous compliment. To be described as egregious meant you were the best, biggest, fastest, etc.
Of late the word has been used to mean the worst, as in exceptionally bad, most shocking, least trustworthy, hence its use in the unfolding Trump saga. It ties in to the blatant abuses of power, the blatant casual lies. Trump is far more egregious than Nixon was at the height of Watergate.
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5 responses
@LadyDuck (458230)
• Switzerland
17 Aug 18
You are right about the world and until not many years ago, when you wrote to a man in Italy you started the letter with
Egregio Signore (Egregious Gentleman). Egregious comes from Latin exgregis, litterally "out of the flock", so distinguished.
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
17 Aug 18
@LadyDuck great start to a letter but use it now and the recipient is likely to feel offended
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
17 Aug 18
@LadyDuck I wish less Americans listened to him too
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@LadyDuck (458230)
• Switzerland
17 Aug 18
@arthurchappell We still use to start letters to important people with "Egregio", nobody listens to Trump in Italy.
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
17 Aug 18
@JudyEv yes some words are just bandied about to show off. - I'm never so indubitably splendiferously over-grandiloquent
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
17 Aug 18
@JudyEv I had to look those words up in the dictionary to be able to use them - certainly not ones I use in everyday conversation - Nuance is a good one - taps well into the current Zeitgeist.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325851)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Aug 18
@arthurchappell I think you might be!! At least in this case. 
In my comment I nearly put 'the wrong nuance' but changed it to 'the wrong angle' because I thought maybe 'nuance' wasn't quite right and you'd think I was just trying to impress - which would have been correct!
In my comment I nearly put 'the wrong nuance' but changed it to 'the wrong angle' because I thought maybe 'nuance' wasn't quite right and you'd think I was just trying to impress - which would have been correct! 1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
16 Aug 18
@Courage7 she probably performed at some of his hotels and casinos - hardly working for him in any direct sense
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