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Definition of VISTA

  • ️Tue Feb 04 2025

1

: a distant view through or along an avenue or opening : prospect

2

: an extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events)

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Vista is generally used today for broad sweeping views of the kind you might see from a mountaintop. But the word originally meant an avenue-like view, narrowed by a line of trees on either side. And vista has also long been used (like view and outlook) to mean a mental scan of the future—as if you were riding down a long grand avenue and what you could see a mile or so ahead of you was where you'd be in the very near future.

Synonyms

Examples of vista in a Sentence

Noun

a gorgeous vista of the mountains from the front window

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The pair will set soon after the sun, so find a viewpoint with open vistas to the west horizon. Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2025 And the idea that the center hub has a vista that can see everywhere from that center area. Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025 Sliding doors open to a covered patio with an outdoor kitchen and alfresco dining space fronted by colorful landscape vistas. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2025 On clear days, the sweeping vistas can extend for nearly 50 miles. Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for vista 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian, sight, from visto, past participle of vedere to see, from Latin vidēre — more at wit

First Known Use

Noun

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of vista was in 1644

Dictionary Entries Near vista

Cite this Entry

“Vista.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vista. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.

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Last Updated: 4 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences

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