afar
adverb
from, at, or to a distance; far away (usually followed byoff ).
afar
1 American
[uh-fahr]
/ əˈfɑr /
adverb
idioms
Afar
2
American
[ah-fahr]
/ ˈɑ fɑr /
noun
-
Afars,
plural
-
Afara,
plural
-
Afar
plural
-
a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.
-
the Northern Cushitic language spoken by the Afars.
afar
British
/ əˈfɑː /
adverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of afar
1125–75; Middle English a fer, on ferr; replacing Old English feorran. See a- 1 (perhaps also a- 2 for the meaning “from”), far
Explanation
If something's off at a distance, you can describe it as being afar. You might write a letter to your pen pal in Japan, and say, "This note comes to you from afar." Afar is a poetic and old-fashioned way to say "far away" or "distant." If your summer visitors have traveled from afar, they've come a long way to see you, and if your boyfriend moves to Australia, you might have to continue your relationship from afar. The word is a shortened form of the Old English of feor, in which of means "of" or "on," and feor is "far, remote, or distant."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Despite this demure exterior, former employees say the Sussexes and the Waleses have spent years monitoring one another from afar on social media, jostling to capture favorable headlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"If a galaxy were a city, the brightest stars would be the skyscrapers that immediately catch your eye from afar," said lead author Chloe Cheng, a recent doctoral graduate of Leiden University.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
“I’m a regular person, like you,” Hal says, gazing directly through the fourth wall at the tiny people he assumes are worshipping him from afar.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
I’m not saying to try to diagnose her from afar; in fact, a manager asking an employee about their health can be illegal in certain situations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The monster stood to its full height, looking down on Conor from afar.
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
Umer, the cattle herder in Afar, said he was worried that an outbreak of disease could start killing his adult camels anytime now.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Afar region of north-eastern Ethiopia is one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, where nomads often lead camel caravans carrying salt through the desert.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In 2026, a University of Chicago led team reported a 2.6 million year old Paranthropus jaw from Ethiopia's Afar region.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026
According to Alemseged, the lack of Paranthropus fossils in the Afar had long puzzled researchers.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
Afar an enormous patch of tiger lilies gave the effect of a bizarre, orchidous tropical group.
From Out of the Air by Inez Haynes Gillmore
Afara Lalaind, who filed her civil complaint Thursday at Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown L.A., also alleges her reputation “has been ruined” and her chance for advancement is gone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2024
Signing up are the proud, aggressive Angelus Lipahi and the earnest, hardworking Ezekiel Afara, both inspired by glossy magazine images of surfing superstars.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2012
"To disarm them all is unacceptable to the Afars," Meles explains.
From Time Magazine Archive
The trouble was that they were registered to vote in fewer numbers than the Afars, a rival tribe that wants to stay tied to France.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the case of the Afars, for instance, he has asked the elders to designate which tribesmen should be armed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Over the past few months, hostilities have raged between the Afars and Tigreans, the Gurages and Wolaytas, the Anuaks and Nuers, and the Oromos and Tigreans.
From Time Magazine Archive
A peace accord in 1994 ended a three-year uprising by Afars rebels.
From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
