This word, like _infiniment_ in French, is commonly used for
'extremely', and it is pedantic to object to it by insisting always on
its full logical meaning; but it should be avoided where measurable
quantities are spoken of; for instance, one may say _to indoctrinate
the mob with philosophical notions does infinite harm_, but to say
that _England is infinitely more populous than Australia_ is absurd.
That one can rightly call atoms infinitely small means that they are
to our senses immeasurable, and the word, as it here carries wonder,
may, like other conversational expletives, have an emotional force,
and can therefore be sometimes well used even where its exaggeration
is apparent. As when a man heightens some assertion with a 'damnable,'
he intends by the colour of his speech to warn you that his conviction
is profound, and that he is in no mood to listen to reason, so the
exaggeration of 'infinite' may have special value by giving emotional
colour to a sentence.
On the above principles there will be doubtful cases. For instance,
was Mr. Lloyd George justified the other day in saying, _If you cut
down expenditure to the lowest possible limit, the war debt would
still be so enormous that ... the expenditure for this country is
bound to be infinitely greater than before the war?--The Times_, Oct.
23.