vast

[ vast ]

adjective

, vast·er, vast·est.

1. of very great area or extent; immense:

   the vast reaches of outer space.

   Synonyms: stupendous, colossal, gigantic, boundless, measureless

   Antonyms: small

2. of very great size or proportions; huge; enormous:

   vast piles of rubble left in the wake of the war.

3. very great in number, quantity, amount, etc.:

   vast sums of money.

4. very great in degree, intensity, etc.:

   an artisan of vast skill.

noun

1. Literary. an immense or boundless expanse or space.

vast

/ vɑːst /

adjective

1. unusually large in size, extent, degree, or number; immense
2. prenominal (intensifier)

   in vast haste

noun

1. the vast poetic.
   immense or boundless space
2. dialect.
   a very great amount or number

Derived Forms

• ˈvastity, noun
• ˈvastness, noun
• ˈvastly, adverb

Other Words From

• vast·ly adverb
• vast·ness noun
• su·per·vast adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vast¹

First recorded in 1565–75, from Latin vastus “empty, immense”

Word History and Origins

Origin of vast¹

C16: from Latin vastus deserted

Example Sentences

The pick, unveiled Tuesday, drew immediate pushback from some influential veterans groups and current and former lawmakers, who suggested that Hegseth’s ideological leanings, rather than any demonstrated expertise, lay behind him being tapped to run the vast U.S. defense complex.

From Los Angeles Times

“Hope Clinic in Granite City, Iliinois, just across the river from St. Louis, continues to see the vast majority of their patients traveling from out of state, most of them from Missouri,” Shariyf said.

From Salon

“It’s a Democratic Party which increasingly has become a party of identity politics, rather than understanding that the vast majority of people in this country are working class. This trend of workers leaving the Democratic Party started with whites, and it has accelerated to Latinos and Blacks.”

From Salon

“The vast majority of officers are corrupted as a result of conditioning, manipulation, coercion and blackmail, while being badly trained, poorly led and inadequately supervised,” he adds.

From BBC

These numbers make clear the vast human impact of the kind of deportation policy the president-elect and Homan may put in place.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ample
• big
• boundless
• broad
• colossal
• endless
• enormous
• extensive
• far-flung
• far-reaching
• gigantic
• great
• huge
• immense
• infinite
• limitless
• mammoth
• massive
• monumental
• spacious