flagrant

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'flagrant' is correct and commonly used in written English.
It means something that is obviously wrong or offensive. Example: The politician's flagrant misuse of public funds sparked widespread outrage among the citizens.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The incident was deemed to have been 'behavior that is flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tournament or is singularly egregious'".

The Guardian - Sport

The problem is that these debris dumps lay the ground for illegal reclamation of land, in flagrant violation of a law restricting construction on coastal areas.

The Guardian

We cannot allow the Tories to get away with using a flagrant abuse of power to impose the most severe austerity this country has seen since the second world war".

The Guardian

The British ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, said there had been "flagrant disregard" for the ceasefire that started just after midnight on Sunday and called on Russia to "deliver on the promises it has made".

The Guardian

Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: "We are delighted that common sense has prevailed and the Met has woken up to the fact that they cannot get away with such flagrant abuse of the Official Secrets Act.This was an outrageous attack on a central tenet of journalism – the protection of our sources.

The Guardian

Despite this flagrant abuse of the spirit of a World Cup in which access to tickets was a huge issue, Fifa's executive committee limply pulled its punches, expressing only "disapproval" and allowing Warner to remain in post.

The Guardian - Sport

Hill's execution would be a flagrant violation of the US supreme court's own ruling in 2002, Atkins v Virginia, that banned the death sentence for prisoners classified as "mentally retarded".

The Guardian

During an inspection by the Care Quality Commission, the Mid Essex trust was also found to be using unregistered nurses in the role of fully-qualified, registered nurses – the first time its inspectors have ever come across such a flagrant breach of the nurse registration system.

The Guardian

The federation criticised Mr Hardwick personally, whom it said "in flagrant breach of his own instructions... set about drip-feeding some information to the media on the state of the [De Menezes] inquiry".

The Guardian

Corruption and patronage within the ANC have become increasingly flagrant.

The Economist

In "Nudge", the 2008 book by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler that brought the Orwellian terminology of "libertarian paternalism" to a popular audience, "libertarian" was used, sensibly enough, to mean "choice-preserving" and "paternalism" was used with such flagrant disregard of conventional meaning that it was made to include everything that might help anyone ever make a good decision.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "flagrant" to describe actions or behaviors that are not only obviously wrong but also offensive, drawing attention to their inappropriateness. For instance, a "flagrant disregard" for rules highlights a deliberate and conspicuous violation.

Common error

Avoid using "flagrant" for minor or unintentional errors. This word carries a strong connotation of deliberate and offensive misconduct, so reserve it for situations where the wrongdoing is blatant and significant.

Linguistic Context

The word "flagrant" primarily functions as an adjective, modifying nouns to describe something that is conspicuously or obviously offensive. Ludwig AI confirms its widespread usage in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Formal & Business

28%

Science

24%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "flagrant" is an adjective used to describe something shockingly obvious and offensive. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a grammatically correct and very commonly used term. It is most often found in news and formal business contexts to emphasize the unacceptable and blatant nature of an action. When using "flagrant", ensure that the situation warrants its strong connotation of deliberate and offensive misconduct, and consider related terms like "blatant" or "egregious" to fine-tune the specific nuance you wish to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

blatant

Indicates an obvious and unconcealed nature, similar to "flagrant" but often emphasizes the lack of attempt to hide the action.

glaring

Suggests something extremely obvious and hard to miss, like "flagrant", but focuses on the visibility of the offense.

egregious

Implies an outstandingly bad or shocking quality, akin to "flagrant" in denoting severity but often used for moral offenses.

outrageous

Denotes something shocking and unacceptable, similar to "flagrant" but with a stronger emphasis on the emotional reaction it provokes.

conspicuous

Refers to something easily noticeable, aligning with "flagrant" in terms of visibility but without necessarily implying wrongdoing.

obvious

Highlights the clear and unmistakable nature of something, sharing the directness of "flagrant" but applicable in a broader range of situations.

overt

Indicates something done openly and without concealment, similar to "flagrant" in its lack of subtlety but can apply to neutral or positive actions as well.

patent

Signifies something obvious and easily recognizable, like "flagrant", often used in legal or technical contexts to denote clear evidence.

rank

Emphasizes the extreme and unpleasant nature of something, similar to "flagrant" in expressing disapproval but often used for corruption or decay.

shameless

Implies a lack of shame or embarrassment, similar to "flagrant" when describing disrespectful behavior but focuses on the actor's attitude.

FAQs

How to use "flagrant" in a sentence?

Use "flagrant" to describe something that is shockingly obvious and blatant. For example, "The politician's actions were a "flagrant violation" of ethics rules".

What can I say instead of "flagrant"?

You can use alternatives like "blatant", "glaring", or "egregious" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "flagrant disregard" or "blatant disregard"?

Both "flagrant disregard" and "blatant disregard" are correct and commonly used, but "flagrant" emphasizes the offensive nature of the disregard, while "blatant" emphasizes its obviousness.

What's the difference between "flagrant" and "obvious"?

"Obvious" simply means easily perceived or understood. "Flagrant" implies that something is not only obvious but also conspicuously offensive or wrong. Therefore, a "flagrant error" is an obvious error that is also unacceptable.