outrageous

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English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Anglo-Norman outrageus, Middle French outrageus, from outrage; compare outrage.

Pronunciation [edit]

Adjective [edit]

outrageous (comparative more outrageous, superlative most outrageous)

  1. Cruel, violating morality or decency; provoking indignation or affront. [from 14th c.]
    • c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
      To be, or not to be, that is the Question: / Whether 'tis Nobler in the minde to suffer / The Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune, / Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them [...].
    • 2011, Paul Wilson, The Guardian, 19 Oct 2011:
      The Irish-French rugby union whistler Alain Rolland was roundly condemned for his outrageous decision that lifting a player into the air then turning him over so he falls on his head or neck amounted to dangerous play.
  2. (now rare) Fierce, violent. [from 14th c.]
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
      For els my feeble vessell, crazd and crackt / Through thy strong buffets and outrageous blowes, / Cannot endure, but needes it must be wrackt [...].
  3. Transgressing reasonable limits; extravagant, immoderate. [from 14th c.]
    • 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
      Audience members praised McKellen, best known for Shakespearean roles and as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, for his show-stealing turn as Twankey in a series of outrageous glitzy dresses.
  4. Shocking; exceeding conventional behaviour; provocative. [from 18th c.]
    • 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
      "It's something I really am quite nervous about," he admits, before adding, with relish: "You have to be a bit outrageous and challenging sometimes."

Translations [edit]

shocking

External links [edit]

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