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gross

gross

69 4.3
Very serious and obvious, showing a large fault or failure
  • adjective
  • /ɡroʊs/
  • Formal
: flagrante
  • His gross negligence in handling the project led to significant losses for the company.
  • gross negligence
  • gross violation
  • gross mismanagement

He lost his job for gross misconduct.

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Examples

  • Terrorism in all its forms has been documented as a gross violation of human rights.

    Academic text (1995)
  • At the same time, this disease has laid bare gross inequities in our healthcare system.

  • That would be gross misallocation of funds, but just making sure you know.

  • Now, one of us has made a gross error... and wasted the other person's valuable time.

  • I think calling it a rough week would be a gross understatement.

  • He lost his job for gross misconduct.

  • Every week, there are new protests about land seizures, environmental violations, or gross corruption on the part of some official.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The failure of Silicon Valley Bank was driven by failures of both regulation and banking supervision along with gross mismanagement.

  • The report revealed gross injustices occurring within the legal system.

  • It was a gross oversight not to account for the new regulations in the budget.

Synonyms

terrible
vsgross
∞ 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and often serious

is more about being glaringly obvious or total rather than general severity
horrible
vsgross
∞ 1.5

Very bad or frightening in a way that makes you feel upset

leans more to clear, blatant badness than to horror alone
awful
vsgross
914 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and causing dislike

stresses being obvious or total rather than just unpleasant
complete
vsgross
  • Informal
716 2.8

People say this to show something is totally bad or extreme

focuses more on being conspicuously bad or glaring than totality
disgusting
vsgross
538 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

is used more to point out clear and total injustice or error
pure
vsgross
488 3.9

Completely and only that thing, often to show dislike

is more about being strikingly obvious rather than only absolute
nasty
vsgross
146 1.0

Very dirty and covered with things that smell bad

centers on clear, obvious wrongdoing or glaring mistakes instead
utter
vsgross
144 3.7

Complete and absolute, showing a very strong degree

adds that the badness is also obvious or glaring
vile
vsgross
131 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

is less moral and more about being obvious or total in badness
stinking
vsgross
  • Informal
108 5.3

Very bad or unpleasant

is more formal and stresses obvious or glaring badness
stark
vsgross
84 5.6

Clear and extreme, often in an unpleasant way

is more about glaring faults than general extremity
grotesque
vsgross
65 6.9

Being very strange and ugly in a way that shocks or amuses

is about clear, blatant badness rather than odd or distorted shape
egregious
vsgross
58 8.9

Very bad and obvious in a way that shocks people

adds the idea of overall severity rather than only shock value
foul
vsgross
54 3.0

Having a very bad smell or taste

is focused on visible wrongdoing or glaring error rather than smell
horrid
vsgross
47 4.1

A very unpleasant thing that shocks or disgusts you

is less about sensory offense and more about blatant badness
ghastly
vsgross
41 6.8

Causing great fear and shock, often like death or ghosts

is more about visible, glaring badness than horror or fear
glaring
vsgross
38 4.3

Very obvious and wrong in a way that shocks people

focuses more on total badness than just visibility
deplorable
vsgross
34 6.8

Very bad and unacceptable, deserving strong criticism

is sharper about being conspicuous or total rather than condemnable
stinky
vsgross
  • Informal
33 3.8

Very bad or of poor quality

leans more toward being shockingly obvious or total in badness
god-awful
vsgross
  • Informal
29 8.4

Very bad and unpleasant

serves to mark clear, obvious wrongness rather than mere dreadfulness
atrocious
vsgross
27 7.0

Being very bad and of low quality

highlights glaring error or injustice rather than just poor quality
flagrant
vsgross
  • Formal
24 7.0

Obvious and very bad in a way that shocks people

is broader, applying to obviousness or total badness beyond acts
rank
vsgross
20 6.8

Complete and clearly wrong

highlights obviousness and glaring nature rather than only totality
crying
vsgross
16 4.6

Something very bad or unfair that needs urgent attention

focuses more on being obviously wrong rather than urgent need
unadulterated
vsgross
15 6.9

Complete and not mixed with anything, used to show strong feeling

is more about clear, blatant error or injustice than purity
sodding
vsgross
  • NSFW
6 9.9

A mildly rude word people use to show strong annoyance in Britain

is more neutral and used to mark obvious or total badness
godawful
vsgross
  • Informal
4 8.2

Very bad and unpleasant, of poor quality

is more neutral and used for glaring faults or injustices
arrant
vsgross
  • Literature
3 9.9

Shows that something is completely bad or foolish

shifts emphasis to visible, glaring fault rather than sheer utter badness
thoroughgoing
vsgross
2 7.7

Done completely and carefully, leaving nothing out

focuses instead on obviousness and glaring badness rather than completion
double-dyed
vsgross
  • Offensive
1 9.6

Being very bad and dishonest in a strong way

is similar but centers on being blatantly obvious or flagrant
disgustful
vsgross
1 6.7

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick

is about being blatantly bad or glaring rather than only repellent

Antonyms

497 2.4

Not very important or serious

339 6.0

Not easy to notice or understand because it is small

Compounds

24 3.5

The total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year

13 3.7

Total value of all goods and services made by a country's people and companies in one year

gross margin
  • Specialized
6 4.9

Part of sales left after paying the cost to make the goods, shown as a percent

gross revenue
  • Specialized
5 3.9

Total money a business gets from sales before costs are taken away

gross profit
  • Specialized
5 3.2

The money left from sales after taking away the cost to make goods, before other costs like rent or taxes

gross sales
  • Specialized
3 2.8

Total money a business gets from selling goods or services before taking away returns and discounts

gross anatomy
  • Specialized
2 4.1

The study of body parts you can see without a microscope

gross weight
  • Specialized
1 3.5

The total weight of goods including their packaging or container

gross profit margin
  • Specialized
1 4.1

The amount of money a company keeps from sales after paying for goods, shown as a percent of sales

gross ton
  • Archaic
1 7.2

A British unit of weight equal to 2,240 pounds used in shipping

gross estate
  • Specialized
1 8.2

The total value of all property and money a person owns when they die before debts are paid

great gross
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A group of 1,728 items

1 9.9

A number equal to 1,728 or 12 times 144

1 6.7

Total value of goods and services a country makes measured with prices kept the same over time

9.9

An agreement to transfer land as one piece without promising the exact size

How Blatant

egregious
58 8.9
gross
  • Formal
69 4.3
obvious
∞ 1.0
noticeable
65 3.2
slight
513 1.2

Surface Forms

gross positive

Etymology

Gross (very obvious or total) comes from gros meaning 'large' or 'coarse', so a 'gross' error is one that is so big or rough that it is easy to see.