valtaisa

Valtaisa is a Finnish adjective meaning powerful, mighty, or imposing in size or influence. It describes objects, phenomena, or abstract notions that are large in scale or strong in impact, such as a valtaisa vuoristo, a vast organization, or valtaisa vaikutus. The nuance is one of grandeur and significance rather than merely being big.

Etymology and form: the word is built from valta, meaning power or authority, with the suffix -isa to form an adjective that conveys possession of that quality. Like other Finnish adjectives, valtaisa participates in standard inflection patterns to express case, number, and degree. Comparative and superlative forms typically follow regular Finnish morphology, for example valtaisempi for “more powerful” and valtaisin or a closely related form for “most powerful” in appropriate contexts; in practice, speakers often choose more common synonyms in everyday speech when talking about ordinary matters.

Usage and nuance: valtaisa carries a formal or literary tone and is often used for physical magnitude or strong influence. It can describe natural features, structures, institutions, events, or rhetorical effects. In journalism and literary prose, valtaisa emphasizes scale and importance; in everyday speech, speakers may prefer terms like mahtava or vaikuttava for less grand or more ordinary contexts.

Related considerations: while valtaisa connotes substantial power or size, it is not interchangeable with all synonyms. Mahtava emphasizes splendour or magnificence, while vaikuttava stresses influence or impact. Valtaisa thus sits toward the more dramatic end of descriptive vocabulary and is common in written Finnish and formal discourse.