afield

[uh-feeld]

See more synonyms for afield on Thesaurus.com

adverb

abroad; away from home.
off the beaten path; far and wide: to go afield in one's reading.
off the mark: His criticism was totally afield.

in or to the field or countryside.
beyond the range or field of one's experience, knowledge, acquaintanceship, etc.: a philosophy far afield of previous philosophical thought.

Origin of afield

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for afield

astray, amiss

Examples from the Web for afield

Contemporary Examples of afield

Afield said no one knows why Julie Schenecker killed her children, except Julie Schenecker.
Did Julie Schenecker Kill Her Kids?
Amy Green
February 8, 2011
If Julie Schenecker is mentally ill, an insanity defense will be difficult for her to prove, Afield said.
Did Julie Schenecker Kill Her Kids?
Amy Green
February 8, 2011

Historical Examples of afield

But then it must be remembered that it was the early summer, and the troops were all afield.
A Wounded Name
Charles King
Afield, he was able to pick up propaganda broadcasts from Ceres.
The Planet Strappers
Raymond Zinke Gallun
Afield, you avoided beam communication, nowadays, whenever you could.
The Planet Strappers
Raymond Zinke Gallun
Mostly, now, during the long grind of expansion, he was afield.
The Planet Strappers
Raymond Zinke Gallun
More of this when I am afield and have my list, which Dolby (for Chappell) is now preparing.
The Letters of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for afield

afield

adverb, adjective (postpositive)

away from one's usual surroundings or home (esp in the phrase far afield)
off the subject; away from the point (esp in the phrase far afield)
in or to the field, esp the battlefield

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for afield

adv.

1590s, contraction of Middle English in felde, from Old English on felda "in the field" (especially of battle), from a- "on" (see a- (1)) + field (n.). Meaning "away from home" is attested by early 15c.