Vastness Definition & Meaning

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 In June, the firm’s chief executive, Zhu Juntao, said the firm had $750 million in assets under management at its peak, with the vast majority from users outside the country. — Elaine Yu, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 Meta has created so many barriers that the vast majority of messages will be completely exposed. — Wired, 11 Aug. 2022 But Kentucky is loaded at tight end, and veterans Keaton Upshaw and Izayah Cummings alone should demand the vast majority of the snaps. — Brett Dawson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Aug. 2022 The pro-recall side received more than $7 million in campaign donations, the vast majority from a PAC backed by billionaire real estate developers. — Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2022 The vast majority of them have to do with scheduling times and places to meet up and have discussions. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2022 Over a roughly two-year period, 34 other people were found to have been infected in Shandong and neighboring Henan, with the vast majority being farmers. — Amy Cheng, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2022 Simply put, the vast majority of consumers on which America's more than $85 billion beauty and personal-care industry is built are women. — Allure Staff, Allure, 9 Aug. 2022 Facilities that use the gas typically have sealed chambers where medical supplies are disinfected and operators are required to capture the vast majority of emissions. — Tony Briscoestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun These technologies will make the resulting image-continuum vast. — Rashed Haq, Wired, 20 Jan. 2022 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 See More

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

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