grootschalige

Grootschalige is a Dutch adjective describing something on a large scale or extensive in scope. It is used for projects, processes, or phenomena that involve substantial resources, wide geographic reach, or long time horizons. The form grootschalige is the attributive form used directly before a noun, for example grootschalige infrastructuur or grootschalige onderzoeksprojecten. The base adjective grootschalig can also be used predicatively, as in het project is grootschalig, and grootschaligheid exists as a noun to denote the property of being large-scale.

In practice, grootschalige is common in fields such as urban planning, energy, industry, research, and data analysis. Examples include grootschalige infrastructuurprogramma’s, grootschalige data-analyse, and grootschalige productie. The term often signals substantial investment, broad geographic or organizational reach, and long-term implications.

Etymology and nuance: grootschalig is a compound of groot (large) and schaal (scale). The word conveys a sense of scope and complexity beyond small or local implementations. It is typically contrasted with kleinschalig, meaning small-scale or compact, to distinguish projects or policies by their reach and resource requirements. Depending on context, grootschalige initiatives may raise specific governance, funding, risk, and coordination considerations.

Translations and related terms: the direct English equivalent is large-scale. Related Dutch terms include grootschaligheid (the state or quality of being large-scale) and grootschalige projecten (large-scale projects). Synonyms in context may include uitgebreid (extensive) or massaal (informal, large in scale).