vigintillion
Very LowFormal, Technical, Scientific
Definition
Meaning
a number equal to 1 followed by 63 zeros in the short scale system (US and modern British) or 1 followed by 120 zeros in the long scale system (historical British and continental European).
A cardinal numeral representing an extremely large, theoretical, or hyperbolic quantity.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used in mathematics, theoretical discussions, or for hyperbolic exaggeration. In everyday contexts, often replaced by phrases like 'an astronomically large number'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Historically, British usage followed the long scale (10^120), while American usage follows the short scale (10^63). Modern UK scientific and financial contexts now predominantly use the short scale.
Connotations
Identical connotations of an incomprehensibly large amount. The difference is purely mathematical.
Frequency
Extremely rare in both varieties, appearing almost exclusively in specialized mathematical, computational, or cosmological texts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Cardinal number (e.g., one vigintillion stars)Preposition 'of' (e.g., a vigintillion of them)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Not if you gave me a vigintillion dollars!”
- “It's a vigintillion-to-one shot.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually unused. Might appear in hyperbolic projections for venture capital pitches: 'Market potential is in the vigintillions.'
Academic
Used in pure mathematics, combinatorics, theoretical physics, and cosmology to denote specific large quantities.
Everyday
Used only for deliberate, humorous exaggeration: 'I've told you a vigintillion times!'
Technical
Used in high-level computational theory, cryptographic key space calculations, and astronomical estimations.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The theoretical model vigintillions the possible outcomes.
American English
- The simulation vigintillions the data points.
adverb
British English
- The possibilities multiplied vigintillionly.
American English
- The odds against it are vigintillionly high.
adjective
British English
- They faced a vigintillion-fold increase in complexity.
American English
- It's a vigintillion-dollar idea, at least in theory.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- A vigintillion is a very, very big number.
- The number of stars in the observable universe is estimated to be far less than a vigintillion.
- In cryptography, a key space of vigintillion possibilities is considered effectively secure against brute-force attacks.
- The combinatorial possibilities of the protein-folding problem approach a vigintillion, necessitating sophisticated heuristic algorithms.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
"Vigint" sounds like 'twenty' (from Latin *viginti*), but it's a number so huge it makes twenty look tiny.
Conceptual Metaphor
SCALE IS SIZE / INFINITY IS A LARGE NUMBER.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with Russian 'вигинтиллион' (vigintillion'), as Russia uses the long scale system, where it means 10^120, not the short scale 10^63 used in modern English.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as an adjective without 'a' or 'one' (Incorrect: 'It cost vigintillion dollars'). Confusing it with similar-sounding 'billion' or 'trillion'. Misspelling as 'viginillion' or 'vigintilian'.
Practice
Quiz
In modern short-scale usage (US and UK), a vigintillion is:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is a mathematically defined cardinal number, though it is far too large to have any practical application in counting physical objects.
In the short scale, it is followed by unvigintillion (10^66), duovigintillion (10^69), etc. In the long scale, the next named number is often an unvigintillion (10^123).
Only for hyperbolic humour or emphasis, as in 'I've got a vigintillion things to do.' In serious contexts, it is inappropriate and confusing.
Due to the historical long scale (where a billion is a million million) used in Europe and the short scale (where a billion is a thousand million) used by the US and now adopted by the UK. The naming systems for higher numbers diverged as a result.