writ or at large?
People confuse the phrases writ large and at large. Here is the difference:
Writ large usually means prominent or obvious.
At large usually means in general.
Dictionary definitions
I’m targeting journalists with this information, and they tend to use the Associated Press Stylebook as a reference. The AP Stylebook cites Merriam-Webster as the “first reference for spelling, style, usage and foreign geographic names,” so it’s my first reference here.
The dictionary of reference for journalists
Here are the Merriam-Webster definitions for the two terms in question:
writ large
on a larger scale or in a more prominent manner
the problems of modern totalitarianism are only our own problems writ large
Merriam-Webster (entry on write)
at large
- free of restraint or confinement
the escaped prisoner is still at large
- without a specific subject or assignment
critic at large
- as a whole
society at large
- as the political representative of or to a whole area rather than of one of its subdivisions ➝ used in combination with a preceding noun
a congressman-at-large
- at length
- in a general way
Merriam-Webster (entry on large)
Note that the definition of writ large comes from the entry on writ, which is an archaic preterite and past participle of write. The definition of at large comes from the entry on large.
Ok, but what about some examples? I happen to know a dictionary with examples. Lots of examples.
Another dictionary
The Oxford University Press publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, which they market as an “unsurpassed guide for researchers in any discipline to the meaning, history, and usage” of virtually every word in the English language. They absolutely deliver on this promise.
The definition in this dictionary of at large is extensive, with 14 different uses. I’ve included only a few of them below, but you can see all of them in the definition of large. I’ve included selected example usages for each word, as well.
writ large
- displayed or expressed in a prominent way or to striking extent.
Near Eastern gods were often human beings writ large: they had bodies of human shape, quarrelled, behaved irresponsibly when drunk, and so forth.
She gave me a hug. Niceness writ large.
Oxford English Dictionary (entry on write)
at large
- At liberty, free; without restraint or check.
I was at large again, hunted but free, in the vast sub-continent of South Africa.
- With reference to speech or writing: at length; fully, expansively.
The importance of ‘timed’ interventions in ongoing conflicts was discussed at large in one of the defining speeches of the Clinton era.
- As a whole, as a body; altogether; in general.
Most major new outlets breathlessly live-blogged the iPhone 4S launch as if it actually mattered to the world at large.
Oxford English Dictionary (entry on large)
Why I made this
I sometimes hear people say “writ large” when I think they mean “at large.” This is understandable; it has a fun flare to it. I personally take any opportunity I can to say “writ large.”
You might be thinking, “Language is fluid! The meanings of words and phrases change over time.”
You’re right. It might even be silly to fight this particular change (if it is even happening; I don’t have much data on this).
Nonetheless, I think it is useful to have phrases that mean different things and preserve the beauty of special phrases.
Maybe “writ large” will take on new meaning as people use it more often, but I think it’s worth also preserving its current meaning.
Who made this?
I made this! I’m Carter Pape. You can email me at
[email protected] (replace ???? with the standard English greeting word).