Dictionary

vast en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /vast/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /vɑːst/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /væst/ (US)
• väst (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle French vaste, from Latin vastus (“void, immense”). Related to waste and German Wüste.

Meanings

1. Very large or wide (literally or figuratively).
   • They and the airline itself described an internal process that requires multiple departments to manually redesign the airline’s schedule – a system that works “the vast majority of the time,” Southwest said in a statement. 2022 December 30, Gregory Wallace, “Insiders at Southwest reveal how the airline’s service imploded”, in CNN:
   • The Sahara desert is vast.
   • There is a vast difference between them.
2. Very great in size, amount, degree, intensity, or especially extent.
   • The exiguity and ſmallneſſe of ſome ſeeds extending to large productions is one of the magnalities of nature, ſomewhat illuſtrating the work of the Creation, and vaſt production from nothing. 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter III.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 136:
   • Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals. 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 172:
   • Another place where, from the aesthetic point of view, a long tunnel would have been a real blessing, is East London as viewed from the carriage window on the old Great Eastern line. Despite a vast change from crowded slums to tracts of wasteland, due to its grim wartime experience, this approach still provides a shabby and unworthy introduction to the great capital. 1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:
3. (obsolete) Waste; desert; desolate; lonely.
   • the empty, vast, and wandering air c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

Forms

Deriveds

vastly · overvast · vastitude · vastity · supervast · vastness · vast majority · ultravast

Synonyms

extensive · extensive

Translations (75)

fi laaja (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · da enorm (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · sv enorm (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · de beträchtlich (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · nb enorm (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · et suur (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · it grande (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · es enorme (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · it esteso (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · th ไพศาล (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ca vast (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ga uafásach (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · et tohutu (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · sk rozsiahly (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · sk enormný (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · hu óriási (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ta பரந்த (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · sk rozľahlý (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ka უზარმაზარი (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ko 광대하다 (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ko 광막하다 (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · et ääretu (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · la effūsus (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · cmn 浩大 (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · uk величе́зний (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · th กว้างใหญ่ (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · pt vasto (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · es vasto (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · bg обши́рен (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · fr vaste (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · mhr кумда (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · wyi woorr-woorr (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · be велічэ́зны (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · cs rozlehlý (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ka ვეებერთელა (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · de riesig (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · it ampio (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · de ausgedehnt (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · de enorm (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · be веліза́рны (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · it vasto (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · mi whakatikotiko (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · fr immense (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ka უსაზღვრო (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · pl obszerny (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ja 広大な (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ko 거대하다 (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · it immenso (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · th ว้างเวิ้ง (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · be шыро́кі (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ar شَاسِع (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · sk drvivý (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · tr muazzam (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · tr engin (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ru обши́рный (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · eo vasta (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ka თვალუწვდენელი (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · fi valtava (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · gl vasto (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ar وَاسِع (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ja 莫大な (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · el απέραντος (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · hu hatalmas (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · de weit (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · pl zdecydowany (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · pl rozległy (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · th กว้างใหญ่ไพศาล (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · tr dev (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · uk широ́кий (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ka ვრცელი (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · bo རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · nl enorm (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · bg огро́мен (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · ru огро́мный (very large or wide (literally or figuratively)) · be вялі́зны (very large or wide (literally or figuratively))

vast en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /vast/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /vɑːst/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /væst/ (US)
• väst (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle French vaste, from Latin vastus (“void, immense”). Related to waste and German Wüste.

Meanings

1. (poetic) A vast space.
   • they have seemed to be together, though absent, shook hands, as over a vast, and embraced, as it were, from the ends of opposed winds. c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

Forms