vista

1 of 2

noun

vis·​ta ˈvi-stə 

1

: a distant view through or along an avenue or opening : prospect

2

: an extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events)

VISTA

2 of 2

abbreviation

Volunteers in Service to America

Did you know?

Vista is generally used today for broad sweeping views of the kind you might see from a mountaintop. But the word originally meant an avenue-like view, narrowed by a line of trees on either side. And vista has also long been used (like view and outlook) to mean a mental scan of the future—as if you were riding down a long grand avenue and what you could see a mile or so ahead of you was where you'd be in the very near future.

Synonyms

Noun

• view
• panorama

Examples of vista in a Sentence

Noun

a gorgeous vista of the mountains from the front window

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

With memories so profound and vistas so far-reaching, much that is viewed as crucial today will be of little interest to the future. —Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025

Attracting everyone from sultans and princes to Charlie Caplin and Winston Churchill in its glory days, Impérial Palace is still the place to be more than a century later—and the views don’t get better than the top floor Imperial Suite, where a terrace shows off 360-degree vistas of Lake Annecy. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2025

The stateside monastery has a Gallic feel—the cloister was imported from France, for instance—but offers panoramic vistas of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 20 June 2025

This congregation of artworks presents an astonishing vista of storytelling marked by startling tensions and at times a powerful stillness. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian, sight, from visto, past participle of vedere to see, from Latin vidēre — more at wit

First Known Use

Noun

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vista

• crista
• arista
• artiste
• batiste
• sandinista

Kids Definition

vista

noun

vis·​ta ˈvis-tə 

1

: a distant view through an opening or along an avenue : prospect

2

: a mental view over a long period of time

Geographical Definition

Vista

geographical name

Vis·​ta ˈvi-stə 

city in southwestern California north of San Diego population 93,834