Choose the Right Synonym for vast

Adjective

enormous, immense, huge, vast, gigantic, colossal, mammoth mean exceedingly large. enormous and immense both suggest an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree, but enormous often adds an implication of abnormality or monstrousness. an enormous expense an immense shopping mall huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount. incurred a huge debt vast usually suggests immensity of extent. the vast Russian steppes gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind. a gigantic sports stadium colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions. a colossal statue of Lincoln mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk. a mammoth boulder

Examples of vast in a Sentence

Adjective She has a vast amount of knowledge on this subject. The policy is supported by the vast majority of citizens. a vast expanse of land

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Having the vast majority of the world’s semiconductor manufacturing based on a single continent has never been ideal for other countries. — Eric Ravenscraft, Wired, 12 June 2021 The vast majority of COVID-19 restrictions in place for 15 months were lifted Friday, removing all capacity limits at restaurants, entertainment venues and other public places. — Gloria Casas, chicagotribune.com, 12 June 2021 The vast majority of the 2,200 cars made will lead lives of pampered seclusion, rarely driven, much less tracked. — Dan Neil, WSJ, 12 June 2021 The vast majority have recovered, but 41 had ongoing symptoms, 15 are still hospitalized, and 3 are in the intensive care unit. — Alexander Tin, CBS News, 11 June 2021 And the vast majority of people getting a COVID vaccine will have to get two shots, compared to just one for the flu vaccine. — Ramsey Archibald | Rarchibald@al.com, al, 11 June 2021 Rich Studley, president and CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, says the vast majority of his members are committed to a safe reopening and return to normal, but don’t see passports as a way to do it. — Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2021 The vast majority of undergraduates have one or more classes on Election Day on top of commitments like work, athletics, and extracurricular activities, and missing these crucial obligations often carries academic consequences. — Forbes, 11 June 2021 Of those whose status was known, the vast majority made a full recovery, Shimabukuro said, with more than 90% of those who had been hospitalized sent directly home after treatment rather than requiring rehabilitation. — Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY, 11 June 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Furthermore, it could be easily scaled up, thereby opening vasts swaths of the universe to observation without the hefty price tag associated with building large, solid telescopes. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, 11 June 2019 That is a more ticklish argument: the obstruction laws are complicated and the ambit of presidential power vast. — The Economist, 7 June 2018 As a Cold War-era child who did drop-and-cover nuclear-attack drills under my desk, I’d been ingrained with ominous, gray images of Soviet military tanks rolling through the vast cobbled landmark. — Norma Meyer, sandiegouniontribune.com, 20 Sep. 2017 Near Potsdam, and a stone’s throw from the breathtaking gardens of Sanssouci Palace, lies Templiner See: Vast and choppy, there’s a seaside holiday vibe in the air. — Alexandra Pereira, CNT, 9 Aug. 2017 A clatter of gunshots suggested the worst The Brillante was built like two rectangles joined at a right angle: one vast, flat, hollow shape that held the liquid cargo, and one smaller, upright stack that contained mechanical systems and crew spaces. — Bloomberg.com, 27 July 2017 Vast and growing databases compiled for commerce and policing are also for sale to politicians and their strategists, who can now know more about you than your spouse or parents. — Nina Burleigh, Newsweek, 8 June 2017 Vast sums must be invested to build refineries and smelters to turn that ore into metal. — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for vast

Adjective

borrowed from Latin vāstus or vastus "devoid of habitation, desolate, dreary," also, "of great size, immense," probably in part continuing Indo-European *h₁u̯eh₂-sto- (whence Old High German wuosti "empty, deserted," Old English wēste, Old Irish fás), in part conflated with another base *wast- of uncertain origin

Noun