An actual lamentation. A pet peeve of mine is the wanton and extravagant overuse of the word massive. It seems to me that the word should be limited to physical things that have mass or weight. We can all agree that Mt. Everest or an asteroid is massive, you know, dense and heavy. But what about as an adjective for a large void? Then there is massive as an adjective for an explosion?

One of the more egregious misapplications of the word arises as a description of a hole, e.g., massive hole. Oh, good gravy. Open the damned thesaurus for a synonym. Ask Mr Google-

The best word for a big hole depends on its shape and how it was made.

Pit: A deep, natural or man-made hole in the ground.

Crater: A large, circular bowl-shaped hole (e.g., from an explosion or meteor).

Chasm: A deep, massive crack or gorge in the Earth’s surface (e.g., a steep-sided rift).

Abyss: A bottomless or unfathomably deep hole or void.

Sinkhole: A natural depression or hole caused by the collapse of surface layers.

For incredible scale or size: Merriam-Webster Thesaurus lists colossal, enormous, gigantic, immense, vast, mammoth, gargantuan, and titanic.

For solid weight or bulk: Hefty, bulky, ponderous, weighty, and substantial are excellent choices.

A close second is massive explosion. The main idea in using an adjective to modify an impressive explosion is to emphasize the power of the thing. Again, Mr Google suggests words depending on the specific context of the sentence, you can choose from these related terms:

• For pure destructive impact: Blast, detonation, or blowup.
• For a catastrophic or earth-shattering event: Cataclysm or catastrophe or catastrophic explosion.
• For fiery or highly energetic events: Eruption, flare, or supernova (for astronomical events).

The folks who write or speak on broadcast or social media seem to be the big offenders. As a result it is unlikely this demographic will see my pathetic blogging on the matter.

Don’t be lazy. Pick appropriate alternatives to massive that conform to the reality of the subject.