vastness

UK/ˈvæstnəs/US/ˈvæstnəs/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,574 of 15,258neutral

Vastness is immense extent or size. The vastness of the plain, sheer vastness, a sense of vastness.

It is used of open country and of space, and always suggests being small in it. Vastness is felt rather than measured, which is why the word survives beside distance.

Definitions of vastness

1nounvastnessImmense extent or size.C1
“The vastness of it was the only thing anybody could describe.”

vastness is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin
vastus — void, immense
Middle French
vaste
English
vast
English, today
vastness

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

vastness in the wild

The vastness of Canada's Northwest Territories meant that for much of its history it was divided into several districts for ease of administration.
Districts of the Northwest Territories
The stores were known for the vastness of the variety in the selections.
Giant Open Air
Specifically, the vastness of the sea is often connected to one's deep unconscious.
Thalassophobia
Due to this vastness of the country, different regions are vulnerable to different natural disasters.
Disaster management in India
Wooden houses, consequently, are more common in the Northwest due both to the vastness of the forests in that area alongside the climate.
Forestry in Spain

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the vaste family

vast

vastness — used about once every 13,896 pages · #12,574 · point at the bar for the others

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