firmament
noun
fir·ma·ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 
1
: the vault or arch of the sky : heavens
Stars twinkled in the firmament.
2
obsolete : basis
3
: the field or sphere of an interest or activity
the international fashion firmament
She's a rising star in the city's artistic firmament.
firmamental
ˌfər-mə-ˈmen-tᵊl
adjective 
Synonyms
- blue
- heaven(s)
- high
- sky
- welkin
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
meteors flashing across the firmament the stars in the firmament twinkled ever so brightly
Recent Examples on the Web Adam Taylor noted a few months ago, for his history of ties to Russian oligarchs, links that extend to much of the Tory political firmament. 
Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 June 2022 Her schoolgirl looks are redolent of Thom Browne (admittedly early, less freakish Browne), who has been a star in the fashion firmament for some time. Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 The upshot: Butler still must navigate a long, slippery film industry road before joining the likes of Michael B. Jordan, Robert Pattinson and Timothée Chalamet in the real-deal cultural firmament. New York Times, 25 May 2022 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters . . . . Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2022 Many of Robinson's books have ascended into the firmament of modern sci-fi, especially his breakthrough trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) about what human colonization of the red planet might look like. Christian Holub, EW.com, 20 June 2022 Native Mexicans never stopped eating them, of course, and avocados remain a star in the firmament of Mexican foods, said Carol Hernández, an associate researcher in the Bioethics Program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022 Jeffrey Cooper, a renowned architect and acoustic engineer, carved out a prestigious place in the Hollywood firmament. Stacy Permanstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2022 His father, Habib Bazzi, started the restaurant in 2009, and it’s now part of Dearborn’s food firmament. New York Times, 11 Nov. 2021 See More
Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 June 2022 Her schoolgirl looks are redolent of Thom Browne (admittedly early, less freakish Browne), who has been a star in the fashion firmament for some time. Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 The upshot: Butler still must navigate a long, slippery film industry road before joining the likes of Michael B. Jordan, Robert Pattinson and Timothée Chalamet in the real-deal cultural firmament. New York Times, 25 May 2022 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters . . . . Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2022 Many of Robinson's books have ascended into the firmament of modern sci-fi, especially his breakthrough trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) about what human colonization of the red planet might look like. Christian Holub, EW.com, 20 June 2022 Native Mexicans never stopped eating them, of course, and avocados remain a star in the firmament of Mexican foods, said Carol Hernández, an associate researcher in the Bioethics Program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022 Jeffrey Cooper, a renowned architect and acoustic engineer, carved out a prestigious place in the Hollywood firmament. Stacy Permanstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2022 His father, Habib Bazzi, started the restaurant in 2009, and it’s now part of Dearborn’s food firmament. New York Times, 11 Nov. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin firmamentum, from Latin, support, from firmare
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
firmament
noun
1
as in sky
the expanse of air surrounding the earth the stars in the firmament twinkled ever so brightly Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sky
- welkin
- heaven(s)
- blue
- high
- midair
- horizon
- skyline
2
as in realm
a region of activity, knowledge, or influence a major figure in the classical music firmament Synonyms & Similar Words
- realm
- area
- sphere
- domain
- department
- element
- field
- kingdom
- walk
- circle
- arena
- terrain
- province
- territory
- specialty
- front
- business
- discipline
- bailiwick
- game
- precinct
- fiefdom
- fief
- confine
- demesne
- barony
- subject
- study
- line
- frontier
- scope
- profession
- turf
- pursuit
- compass
- ambit
- amplitude
- vocation
- racket
- sweep
- width
- extent
- reach
- breadth
- ken
- occupation
- subfield
- subspecialty
- dimension(s)