firmament

noun

fir·​ma·​ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 

1

: the vault or arch of the sky : heavens

Stars twinkled in the firmament.

2

obsolete : basis

3

: the field or sphere of an interest or activity

the international fashion firmament

She's a rising star in the city's artistic firmament.

firmamental

ˌfər-mə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

adjective

Synonyms

• blue
• heaven(s)
• high
• sky
• welkin

Examples of firmament in a Sentence

meteors flashing across the firmament

the stars in the firmament twinkled ever so brightly

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, a revealing new HBO documentary, Faye, seeks to set the record straight on one of the most complicated stars in the Hollywood firmament. —John Russell, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024

Kris Jenner’s daughters are each indelible parts of the pop culture firmament, attract millions of followers on social media and have massively lucrative businesses that together bring in billions. —Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2024

Robert Towne’s ascent into a permanent spot in the Hollywood creative firmament happened like a windstorm, and will surely remain as long as movies are loved and discussed. —Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 2 July 2024

Legitimacy was the wild card, the disrupter, the third sun in the Stalinist Cold War firmament. —John Lewis Gaddis, Foreign Affairs, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin firmamentum, from Latin, support, from firmare

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

firmament

noun

fir·​ma·​ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 

: the arch of the sky : heavens