Enormity Vs. Enormousness
Who knew this was an issue? I don’t think it is so much anymore, though.Originally, officially, enormity refers to figurative bigness and implies a moral defect. You can talk about the enormity of a crime or a sin, for instance.
Using enormity to mean literal bigness — the enormity of a building or explosion — is frowned upon. You’re supposed to use enormousness instead. However, enormousness was never a popular word, and the condemnation of enormity as meaning large appears to be arbitrary.
Bottom line — use it however you want. I won’t correct it.
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