distant
[dis-tuh nt]
- far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed (often followed by from): a distant place; a town three miles distant from here.
- apart or far off in time: distant centuries past.
- remote or far apart in any respect: a distant relative.
- reserved or aloof; not familiar or cordial: a distant greeting.
- arriving from or going to a distance, as a communication, journey, etc.: I have here a distant letter from Japan.
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Origin of distant
Synonyms
See more synonyms for distant on Thesaurus.com4. cool, withdrawn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for distant
Contemporary Examples
There were stories of distant strife, in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland, and those stories had the whiff of a different era.
In the not too distant future, these young people will control billions of dollars.
In the post-Kefauver era of the early 1950s, it had many advantages over its distant desert sister.
That distant whirring sound you hear is a long-dead Greek physician spinning in his grave.
This can be seen not just in distant exurbs or suburbs, but in prime inner-city neighborhoods.
Historical Examples
The ball of red fire in the west was half below the rim of the distant peak.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
It is not your privilege as a nation to speak of a distant past.
At Nicolosi their rest was disturbed by the distant booming of the mountain.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
Nor will I, but by distant civilities, return the compliments of any of my acquaintances.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
The distant sound of a church-clock is borne faintly on the wind.
The Haunted Mind (From "Twice Told Tales")Nathaniel Hawthorne
distant
- far away or apart in space or time
- (postpositive) separated in space or time by a specified distance
- apart in relevance, association, or relationshipa distant cousin
- coming from or going to a faraway placea distant journey
- remote in manner; aloof
- abstracted; absenta distant look
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin distāre to be distant, from dis- 1 + stāre to stand
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for distant
adj.
late 14c., from Old French distant (14c.), from Latin distantem (nominative distans), present participle of distare "to stand apart, be remote" (see distance (n.)). Related: Distantly.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper