vast

Definitions

Straight from Latin vastus, 'empty and desolate.' An empty wasteland is also boundless — and English kept only the boundlessness. So vast now means simply 'immensely large,' whether of space (a vast desert) or quantity (a vast sum). The original emptiness has faded; the sense of overwhelming scale remains.

Why It Means This

Vast carries a feeling no plain word like 'big' or 'large' has: a sense of scale almost beyond grasping, inherited from its origin as a word for empty, endless wasteland. That's why it pairs so naturally with oceans, deserts, skies, and sums of money or knowledge — things too large to take in at a glance.

Common Collocations

• 1.a vast majority绝大多数
• 2.vast amounts of大量的
• 3.a vast array of大量各式各样的
• 4.the vast expanse of辽阔的……
• 5.on a vast scale大规模地

Example Sentences

• 1.

  From the plane, we looked down on the vast expanse of the desert.

• 2.

  The company spent a vast amount of money on advertising.

• 3.

  There is a vast difference between the two proposals.

• 4.

  The internet gives us access to a vast store of knowledge.

Synonym Comparison