Synonym Chooser

How is the word vast distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of vast are colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, and mammoth. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

When might colossal be a better fit than vast?

The words colossal and vast can be used in similar contexts, but colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How do enormous and immense relate to one another, in the sense of vast?

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

Where would gigantic be a reasonable alternative to vast?

Although the words gigantic and vast have much in common, gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When could huge be used to replace vast?

The synonyms huge and vast are sometimes interchangeable, but huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When would mammoth be a good substitute for vast?

The meanings of mammoth and vast largely overlap; however, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vast Venezuela’s vast oil reserves have prompted specific attention from the administration. Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025 The new lichen indicators developed by the team will enable them to map much larger areas, eventually using aircraft and satellites, which will facilitate the discovery of fossils across vast landscapes. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025 But in the little over two months since, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent for and against the measure — the vast majority of it in support. Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025 These types of predictions, however, could be a sign of an AI bubble, where many startups describe themselves as AI developers, and investors and executives assume that lots of data and vast computing power are all that is needed to find a new drug target. Gil Press, Forbes.com, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vast
Adjective
  • At the center of all the glitzy havoc—her face often looming on a huge flat screen that rolls around the stage, following actors like a hulking LED stalker—is of course Chenoweth.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Todd also had a huge sack in the fourth quarter.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Danielewski is a writer of enormous power and vision.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Some of this, of course, is related to fires in California and hurricanes in the southeast that destroyed an enormous amount of utility infrastructure.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • As the season shifts toward winter, the polar jet stream begins to shift south and can stir up storms that produce howling winds and gigantic waves in November on the Great Lakes.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The drive-thru incident took place a month after authorities in Miami were called to remove a gigantic snake from a nearby work site.
    Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The communiqué earned a tremendous amount of positive press.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • But people were tremendous and recording themselves watching the finale episode and crying or being shocked, in a pit of despair or whatever.
    Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • China has undertaken a massive expansion of sites linked to missile production since 2020, bolstering its ability to potentially deter the US military and assert its dominance in the region, a new CNN analysis of satellite images, maps and government notices reveals.
    Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • For Native people, the war marked a dangerous fork in the road, stirring famine, spurring a massive refugee crisis, and permanently shifting the balance of power in the heart of the continent.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That move, however, allowed the giant exhibitor to fully redeem all of its 2026 debt maturities.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Generative, predictive, and other forms of AI collectively are projected to generate as much as $340 billion annually in value creation for the global banking sector, consulting giant McKinsey has estimated.
    John Kell, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Chasing a record 299, South Africa made a sedate start under immense pressure from medium pacer Renuka Singh.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The technical, ethical, and environmental challenges are immense.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Her book objects might also take colossal form, as in 1967’s The Big Book, featuring eight-foot-by-four-foot pages secured to a central spine and moveable via casters.
    News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Visitors entering the museum are greeted by the colossal 3,200-year-old, 11-meter-tall statue of King Ramses II, which stood for decades in central Cairo's Ramses Square before being relocated to its new home near the museum in 2006.
    Ayat Al-Tawy, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vast. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

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