enormity / enormousness

Originally these two words were synonymous, but “enormity” for a time got whittled down to meaning something monstrous or outrageous. That meaning has largely vanished from contemporary usage, with the two words both meaning “hugeness.” But some of us wish you wouldn’t refer to the “enormity” of the Palace of Versailles unless you wish to express horror at this embodiment of Louis XIV’s ego.

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Common Errors in English Usage book cover