09 February 2012

Frequently misused words #1: exponential

In today’s Moscow Times, Boris Kagarlitsky wrote about the information war that he sees being waged between the Russian government and the “Bolotnaya Square” (for want of a better term) protesters. He said this:
“The Kremlin has exponentially more resources to spend on propaganda campaigns than the opposition and could never be ‘outgunned’ in a information war.”
     The question is: what would be a better phrase to use than “exponentially more”, given that “exponential” describes a rate of increase, not a quantity level.
     The best answer sent to me at language.etiquette@gmail.com will earn a ticket in the (very small, with consequently high chance of winning) draw for a bottle of malt whisky, which I will announce in the near future.