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Undue vs Egregious - What's the difference?

undue | egregious |

As adjectives the difference between undue and egregious

is that undue is excessive; going beyond that what is natural or sufficient while egregious is exceptional, conspicuous, outstanding, most usually in a negative fashion.

undue

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Excessive; going beyond that what is natural or sufficient.
  • To individuals who despise killings in any form, death penalty is undue punishment.
  • That which ought not to be done; illegal; unjustified.
  • (of a payment etc) Not owing or payable.
  • Derived terms

    * undueful * undue influence * undueness * unduly

    egregious

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Exceptional, conspicuous, outstanding, most usually in a negative fashion.
  • The student has made egregious errors on the examination.
  • * 16thC , ,
  • I cannot cross my arms, or sigh "Ah me," / "Ah me forlorn!" egregious foppery! / I cannot buss thy fill, play with thy hair, / Swearing by Jove, "Thou art most debonnaire!"
  • * c1605 , , Act 2, Scene 3,
  • My lord, you give me most egregious indignity.
  • * 22 March 2012 , Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Games [http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/]
  • When the goal is simply to be as faithful as possible to the material—as if a movie were a marriage, and a rights contract the vow—the best result is a skillful abridgment, one that hits all the important marks without losing anything egregious .
  • * '>citation
  • Outrageously bad; shocking.
  • Usage notes

    The negative meaning arose in the late 16th century, probably originating in sarcasm. Before that, it meant outstanding in a good way. Webster also gives “distinguished” as an archaic form, and notes that its present form often has an unpleasant connotation (e.g., "an egregious error" ). It generally precedes such epithets as “rogue,” “rascal,” "ass," “blunderer”.