vast

[vast, vahst]

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adjective, vast·er, vast·est.

of very great area or extent; immense: the vast reaches of outer space.

of very great size or proportions; huge; enormous: vast piles of rubble left in the wake of the war.

very great in number, quantity, amount, etc.: vast sums of money.

very great in degree, intensity, etc.: an artisan of vast skill.

noun

Literary. an immense or boundless expanse or space.

Origin of vast

First recorded in 1565–75, vast is from the Latin word vastus empty, immense

Related formsvast·ly, adverbvast·ness, nounsu·per·vast, adjectivesu·per·vast·ly, adverbsu·per·vast·ness, noun

Synonyms for vast

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vast ON THESAURUS.COM

1. measureless, boundless, gigantic, colossal, stupendous.

Antonyms for vast

1. small.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vastly

tremendously, exceedingly, greatly, extremely, enormously, hugely, largely, mightily, much

Examples from the Web for vastly

Contemporary Examples of vastly

The two carriers are headquartered in Kuala Lumpur but have vastly different profiles and operating philosophies.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370
Lennox Samuels
December 29, 2014
Our time is so vastly different in its particulars that the parallels work only in broad strokes.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years
Jedediah Purdy
December 28, 2014
To prevent further attacks we have vastly improved our defenses at home.
Why’s Al Qaeda So Strong? Washington Has (Literally) No idea
Bruce Riedel
November 9, 2014
In terms of options, the cultural world of 1974 was vastly better than that of 1954.
This One Picture of Telly Savalas Refutes All Fears That Progress Has Ended
Nick Gillespie
October 30, 2014
These numbers, although startling, are thought to “vastly underestimate” the reality.
CDC Director: First U.S. Ebola Patient ‘Critically Ill’
Abby Haglage
September 30, 2014

Historical Examples of vastly

If I am capable of judging, our tempers and inclinations are vastly different.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
He was vastly astonished at the outset and not quite pleased.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
"I would'nt have believed it possible," she declared, vastly impressed.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
With all her sophistication, Tillie was vastly ignorant of life.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
"You are vastly mistaken, my good friend," said the observer.
Earth's Holocaust (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for vastly

vast

adjective

unusually large in size, extent, degree, or number; immense

(prenominal) (intensifier)in vast haste

noun

the vast mainly poetic immense or boundless space

British dialect a very great amount or number

Derived Formsvastity, nounvastly, adverbvastness, noun

Word Origin for vast

C16: from Latin vastus deserted

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for vastly

vast

adj.

1570s, from Middle French vaste, from Latin vastus "immense, extensive, huge," also "desolate, unoccupied, empty." The two meanings probably originally attached to two separate words, one with a long -a- one with a short -a-, that merged in early Latin (see waste). Very popular early 18c. as an intensifier. Related: Vastly; vastness.