grandioos

Grandioos is a Dutch adjective describing something as grand, impressive, or ostentatious in scale or effect. It is commonly used for architecture, performances, plans, or designs that aim to be striking and memorable. In tone, grandioos can be positive, praising ambition and splendor, but it can also carry a critical nuance when it implies pretension or excess.

Etymology and usage history: Grandioos is borrowed from the French grandiose, via Latin grandiosus. It entered Dutch in the early modern period, later becoming a common descriptor in literature, journalism, and everyday language to signal impressive magnitude or elaborate presentation.

Usage notes: The term is frequently found in formal or literary contexts and in media descriptions of major projects, events, or artworks. It commonly collocates with nouns such as gebouw, plan, voorstelling, ontwerp, or show. Distinctions denoted by grandioos include emphasis on scale and effect; related but softer terms include indrukwekkend and imposant, while grootschalig highlights size and scope. The opposite emphasis is conveyed by bescheiden or eenvoudig.

Examples: The festival presented a grandioos multimedia-spektakel. The grandioze plannen van de componist riepen gemengde gevoelens op. In practice, de- or -e endings may vary with grammatical gender and number, as with many Dutch adjectives.

See also: grandiose (in English and other languages) and related concepts such as ostentatie, extravagantie, and weelde.