vast

[vast]

adjective

vaster, vastest 

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. poetic,  immense or boundless space

2. dialect,  a very great amount or number

Other Word Forms

• vastly adverb
• vastness noun
• supervast adjective
• vastity noun

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 vast crowd were demonstrating to demand a law guaranteeing their right to avoid Israel's mandatory military service -- long promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Read more on Barron's

In this “hard land” where “one feels that man is barely permitted to exist,” the family lived in a wooden house on a vast plain.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Europe has a vast network of campgrounds near beaches, vineyards and famous cities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Azure provides cloud services to a vast array of businesses, and Microsoft’s 365 suite of products, which includes tools like Office and Excel, are used by millions of users globally.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Anyone who thinks this new technology isn’t going to devastate vast numbers of knowledge and white-collar jobs across many industries is surely living in a fantasy.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

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