vista

1 of 2

noun

vis·​ta ˈvi-stə 

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)

VISTA

2 of 2

abbreviation

Volunteers in Service to America

Did you know?

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

Noun

• command
• lookout
• outlook
• panorama
• perspective
• prospect
• view

Examples of vista in a Sentence

Noun

a gorgeous vista of the mountains from the front window

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This idyllic beach town about an hour south of Los Angeles is what everyone from Iowa thinks California looks like: crashing waves, endless miles of white sand beaches, stunning vistas, and plenty of tan and healthy-looking people. —Bob Pisani, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2024

Woo’s eye-popping vistas stand out right from the start, during lonely shots of Ahn traversing an icy hellscape. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Sep. 2024

Forging a passageway through the Appalachian Mountains, the 14,000-acre park is located where Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky meet, and its mountainous terrain gives way to plenty of hiking trails and unbeatable vistas. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2024

What to expect: Birthplace of Herodotus and known as Halicarnassus in ancient times, the rotund peninsula is crowned with jagged edges, making for intimate coves and breathtaking vistas. —Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 8 Sep. 2024

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

Kids Definition

vista

noun

vis·​ta ˈvis-tə 

1

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

2

: a mental view over a long period of time

Geographical Definition

Vista

geographical name

Vis·​ta ˈvi-stə 

city in southwestern California north of San Diego population 93,834