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

Although his career has since taken him farther afield, James has hung on to the property, which eclipses his other homes in size.

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Further afield, there's also Wood Farm, on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, which is privately owned by the monarch.

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Sitting alongside me in the back is Truro club historian Matt Hall, who has been thrilled by the chance to travel further afield with his team.

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But the ripple effects could also be felt much further afield.

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It is, in some ways, the most pernicious because it strays far afield from direct claims of military and political heroism to celebrate a scientist, a profession built around facts.

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Related Words

• astray