a sight
A lot; considerably, often as "a sight of" or "a sight better."
Also called a sight of.
Updated September 21, 2026
a sight pronunciation
/uh SITE/
Meaning
In mountain and Southern talk, "a sight of" means a large amount. "A sight better" means much better. Kephart noted mountain folks using sight the way others say much. Separately, calling something "a sight" can mean it is something to look at, good or bad, but the quantity sense is the everyday workhorse.
How folks use it
- “They grew a sight of taters that year.”
- “This coffee is a sight better than what we had yesterday.”
Origin and etymology
Older English used "sight" for a great quantity, as if the pile was big enough to notice. That sense stuck hard in Southern Appalachian speech; "a sight of" and "a sight better" show up in oral histories and dialect collections through the 1900s.
Frequently asked questions
Is "a sight" only about seeing something?
Not in this use. "A sight of" means a lot of, and "a sight better" means a lot better.