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 If Fıratoğlu can’t seize the vast emotions that those movies do, that may be because his minimalist writing errs on the side of sparseness. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 16 Sep. 2025 The fatal stabbing of a young woman on a Charlotte light rail train highlights the challenges of keeping public transportation riders safe on vast, crowded and wide-open systems that fuel urban life. Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025 The perfectly still water creates a flawless mirror image of the stalactites above, tricking your eyes into seeing a vast, bottomless lake. Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025 According to my research, there has been a 473% increase in Google searches of the term and a vast array of products are now sold on Amazon and other smaller online stores. Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vast
Adjective
  • The Studio Ends Big Night With Record Wins Seth Rogen closed out a huge night for Apple TV+’s The Studio, which won best comedy.
    Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Stewart has also become a huge advocate for New Yorkers who were exposed to deadly toxins during the 9/11 attacks, and even spoke before Congress in 2019 to urge the passing of a bill that would provide aid to victims.
    Keith Langston, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • No liquor, no food, just an enormous outdoor patio teeming with Carolina Blue, popular bands, students, alumni and celebrities.
    The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
  • One of the enormous elk lived in immense, rough country near Ennis, Montana.
    Jack Atcheson Sr. as told to Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • You may be relieved to know that this book does not involve a gigantic replica of anyone’s birth canal.
    Jamie Harrow, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Royer, who worked as an architect before joining Ford 15 years ago, said the miniature clay world headquarters will be something people can use to navigate the real-life gigantic space.
    Jamie L. LaReau, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Kirk’s death brought a tremendous response across the political spectrum.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
  • But mortgage rates remain elevated above 6%, freezing activity in the housing market that enjoyed a tremendous boom during the pandemic thanks to sub-3% mortgage rates.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In short, the massive popularity of its original anime ‘80s run wasn’t matched by its merchandising, and that’s something that is now being belatedly addressed.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Musk has long said Starship’s sheer size and power could make brand-new types of missions possible, including carrying groups of humans to Mars and deploying massive new space telescopes.
    Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation.
    Sharareh Drury, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Texas Ordering amid the heat and smoke of Kreuz’s massive pit room, where the countermen pull giant hunks of beef brisket and shoulder clod from the brick pits and carve them on round butcher blocks, remains an essential Texas barbecue experience.
    Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Like an amulet, or a bible, the immense and somehow lingering grief and rage flowing through it is with me everywhere.
    Sara Stridsberg September 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
  • There is immense comfort in shared failure; there is immense career risk in an unconventional success that cannot be easily explained to a board.
    Benjamin D. Summers, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • According to Cook, Apple shareholders are not protesting the company's colossal domestic manufacturing spend.
    Julie Coleman, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
  • And so, with these four short works, the divide between the fantastical and the real, the inside and the outside collapses, laying bare this colossal network connecting us all.
    Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vast. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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