Jump to:

• afar
  afar

  adverb

  from, at, or to a distance; far away (usually followed byoff ).
• Afar
  Afar

  noun

  a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.

afar

¹ American  

[uh-fahr] / əˈfɑr /

adverb

1. from, at, or to a distance; far away (usually followed byoff ).

   He saw the castle afar off.

---

idioms

1. from afar, from a long way off.

   The princess saw him riding toward her from afar.

Afar ² American  

[ah-fahr] / ˈɑ fɑr /

noun

plural

Afars, Afara,

plural

Afar

1. a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.

2. the Northern Cushitic language spoken by the Afars.

---

afar British  

/ əˈfɑː /

adverb

1. at, from, or to a great distance

---

noun

1. a great distance (esp in the phrase from afar )

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

From afar, Chile's Tiltil landfill almost resembles just another mountain, but the growing rubbish pile has created a daily nightmare of odors, flies and health concerns for residents nearby.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Spitballing from afar, the Un Certain Regard title that’s seized my attention is Zachary Wigon’s “Victorian Psycho,” a gothic horror film starring Maika Monroe and Thomasin McKenzie.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

The new telegraph network also made it possible for the Civil War, fought over an area larger than any previous land war in history, to be monitored—and directed—from afar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Would he want to risk that crashing down as he observes events at Chelsea from afar?

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Her voice was like a comforting hand, reaching from afar, easing the winter.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat