afield

[uh-feeld]

adverb

1. abroad; away from home.

2. off the beaten path; far and wide.

   to go afield in one's reading.

3. off the mark.

   His criticism was totally afield.

4. in or to the field or countryside.

5. beyond the range or field of one's experience, knowledge, acquaintanceship, etc..

   a philosophy far afield of previous philosophical thought.

afield

/ əˈfiːld /

adverb

1. away from one's usual surroundings or home (esp in the phrase far afield )

2. off the subject; away from the point (esp in the phrase far afield )

3. in or to the field, esp the battlefield

Word History and Origins

Origin of afield¹

before 1000; Middle English afelde, Old English on felda. See a- ¹, field

Example Sentences

The cells that form the oral region are spread farther afield, making it plausible that at some point, a clump of tooth-forming cells might have migrated onto the head and stuck.

Read more on Science Daily

However, Cameron has already seen his campaign go further afield, leading to his appearance at the Scottish Parliament.

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Further afield, France is ungovernable, other parts of Europe nearly so.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Sir Keir was on home turf for these traditional pre-conference interviews on a skyscraper looming over north London, but his problems lie further afield.

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More than 500 people attended the final night at the city's Sub Club, with some travelling from as far afield as Belgium, Canada and the United States.

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Related Words

• astray