Definition of Enormity

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name is Ava Lee.

Ava Lee, where are you calling from?

San Diego.

What’s on your mind?

Well, I’ve loved and listened to your show for quite a while. So when a travel chat post or group that I belong to brought up the remark, it’s nothing to do with travel, but the poster said, so much for an Ivy League education, and he quoted a Barack Obama quote saying, I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead. And he was questioning the correct use of the word enormity.

So after about close to 250, maybe more posters have weighed in, we thought we’d go to the source, the expert, so to say, and maybe you can give us some kind of idea whether that is an improper use of it or if it’s acceptable.

Wow. Well, what did the discussion look like? Were most people saying that he could use enormity that way?

Well, most people felt that it was in the dictionary as a legitimate use of the word. That there were three, somebody said that there were, the word enormity has been misused in recent years to the point it has taken on the third definition below, which means greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence, immensity. But I guess originally the dictionary definition was outrageous or heinous character and something outrageous or heinous as an offense.

So the question is, can we use enormity the way that Barack Obama did when he talked about the enormity of the task that lies ahead?

Correct.

And I would say, to borrow another phrase from Barack Obama, yes, we can.

Well, that’s good to hear.

I would agree.

Okay.

Yeah.

It’s tricky because both enormousness and enormity over the centuries of their existence have meant both things. Sometimes they’ve meant great physical size, and sometimes they’ve meant monstrously wicked, both of those words. And sometimes there are a lot of sticklers who will say only use enormousness to connote size. But you see enormity as a definition in the dictionary for something large as well, especially if it’s abstract. You see less use of enormity to describe something that’s physical, like the enormity of the Atlantic Ocean.

I haven’t heard something like that.

Would you agree, Grant?

I would definitely agree.

I would say it’s interesting that the person on the discussion forum decided that the use of enormity was enough to devalue this person’s entire education. They’re considering the right evidence, but they’re drawing the wrong conclusion. The evidence is that somebody with a great education used the word enormity. And so then you begin to say, well, if this highly educated person used the word enormity in this way, then maybe that’s evidence that that’s the correct usage.

And in fact, you will find educated speakers and educated writers in both the UK, the US, also in Australia and Canada and other English-speaking countries using a nomad in this way over centuries. And it’s not something that happened last week or 10 years ago. It’s been happening for a very long time. You will find some dictionaries that mark it as informal, and it is merely their way, the dictionary editor’s way of saying there’s some dispute over this.

But it’s interesting. If you look across a wide variety of printed texts, and I can do this right here, you will see that most people, interestingly, when they use enormity to mean enormousness, it tends to have a negative value. It retains a little bit of that negative notion that goes with the other meaning. Does that make sense?

Yes.

You very rarely, you will find it, but very rarely, much less often anyway, you’ll find enormity used in a positive way.

Well, the gentleman who brought this to the attention is a retired English professor.

Huh.

So his credibility, you know, was hard to debunk, I guess. And so this will be interesting that we can continue the discussion now.

Well, I’ve got to tell you, Ava Lee, this is no doubt not the end of this. We’ll run into this again. But thank you for bringing it to our attention.

Well, thank you very much. And we will continue the discussion. And those of us who believe it was a correct use will have a little bit of backup from you guys.

All right.

Thank you, Averly. Bye-bye.

Okay, bye.

Well, I’m sure we’ll hear from folks about that. And the place to call is 1-877-929-9673 or email us. The address is words@waywordradio.org.