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

• vastity noun
• vastness noun
• vastly adverb
• supervast 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

China has built commercial ports around Africa, part of its vast infrastructure-building campaign.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

DR Congo has had 16 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in 1976, when the vast central African country was known as Zaire.

Read more on Barron's

The leak is a major embarrassment for the company, which is headquartered in the U.S. but does the vast majority of its business in South Korea.

Read more on Barron's

Airbus said Monday that of the total of around 6,000 potentially affected aircraft, the vast majority have now received the necessary modifications.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Set in the Llanos de Moxos, a vast network of savannas, gallery forests, and floodplains that make up the largest wetland system in the Amazon basin, this area has inspired curiosity for centuries.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

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