The archaic meaning of egregious is something good. Now it means the opposite.
When did this occur and is there any reasoning on why this occurred?
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1Have you checked any sources? There is some information here: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=egregious which claims it is an ironic use from the late 16th C. – DyingIsFun Feb 24 '16 at 20:14
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Well the literal definition of its root is to stand out from the flock, so it's not hard to see how this could come to be understood in a negative light. – Charon Feb 24 '16 at 20:15
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Ah @Silenus has found a good source: according to it, egregious started off being used in the bad sense ironically. Funny how using something in mockery/jest can make its meaning evolve. – Charon Feb 24 '16 at 20:17
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2Possible duplicate of What's up with the word "egregious"? Also How do you usually interpret “egregious”? and How does a word come to have two completely opposite meanings?, among others. – FumbleFingers Feb 24 '16 at 20:25