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Mr. Tom Posted 7 years ago
Vocabulary

Maximal intensity

Hi

Would you say that such a sentence would sound stiff and artificial in everyday spoken English?

Within minutes, the pain reached its maximal intensity.


I think this one is much more natural English?

Within minutes, the pain was intolerable.

Thanks,

Tom

PS: What is the difference? maximal intensity -- maximum intensity

  

Top answer

The second sentence is more natural, but the two sentences don't have the same meaning because an intolerable level of pain might not be the maximum level of pain in a given context; tolerability doesn't necessarily determine the upper bound, just as my participation in this forum has become insufferable, but my participation has not necessarily reached its maximum just because you can no longer suffer it. : Maximum is both a noun and an adjective, while maximal is an adjective.

— Jack Dammit

  • The second sentence is more natural, but the two sentences don't have the same meaning because an intolerable level of pain might not be the maximum level of pain in a given context; tolerability doesn't necessarily determine the upper bound, just as my participation in this forum has become insufferable, but my participation has not necessarily reached its maximum just because you can no longer suffer it.
  • : Maximum is both a noun and an adjective, while maximal is an adjective.
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2 Answers
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The second sentence is more natural, but the two sentences don't have the same meaning because an intolerable level of pain might not be the maximum level of pain in a given context; tolerability doesn't necessarily determine the upper bound, just as my participation in this forum has become insufferable, but my participation has not necessarily reached its maximum just because you can no long

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Mr. TomPS: What is the difference? maximal intensity -- maximum intensity

The meaning is identical in everyday use. People use "maximal" in that context to make it sound like they know a word that you don't, but all they accomplish is to make it sound like they can't tell the difference themselves. "Maximum" is usual. "Maximal" is probably better reserved f

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