distant

[ dis-tuhnt ]

/ ˈdɪs tənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR distant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

Nearby words

distance medley, distance modulus, distance race, distance runner, distance university, distant, distant early warning, distant flap, distaste, distasteful, distelfink

Origin of distant

1350–1400; Middle English dista(u)nt (< Anglo-French) < Latin distant- (stem of distāns, present participle of distāre to stand apart), equivalent to di- di-² + stā- stand + -nt- present participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR distant

4 cool, withdrawn.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR distant ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

dis·tant·ly, adverbdis·tant·ness, nouno·ver·dis·tant, adjectiveo·ver·dis·tant·ly, adverb

qua·si-dis·tant, adjectivequa·si-dis·tant·ly, adverbul·tra·dis·tant, adjectiveun·dis·tant, adjectiveun·dis·tant·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for distant

There were stories of distant strife, in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland, and those stories had the whiff of a different era.
The Best Columns of 2014|John Avlon, Errol Louis|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the not too distant future, these young people will control billions of dollars.
When Will We See a #Millennial Congress?|Linda Killian|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the post-Kefauver era of the early 1950s, it had many advantages over its distant desert sister.
Will Hyman Roth Return to Havana With Normalized Relations?|John L. Smith|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That distant whirring sound you hear is a long-dead Greek physician spinning in his grave.
Why So Many Surgeons Are Psychos|Russell Saunders|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This can be seen not just in distant exurbs or suburbs, but in prime inner-city neighborhoods.
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead|Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rocks, huge and picturesque, jut out into the stream, affording beautiful views of the river and the distant city.
The Works of Whittier, Volume V (of VII)|John Greenleaf Whittier
I saw people coming from the river and from distant places to help build the Temple.
Wilford Woodruff|Matthias F. Cowley
The surface is porous; the cells are distant and arranged irregularly, and seem as if composed of sand cemented with mud.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
"The devil is strong in them," exclaimed a distant voice, which appeared to be that of a priest.
The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African Traveller|Francis Head
In French they greeted each other stiffly, like distant acquaintances, and the train thundered past.
The Lion's Share|E. Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for distant

distant

/ (ˈdɪstənt) /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

distantly, adverbdistantness, noun

Word Origin for distant

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

distant

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of distant

SYNONYMS FOR distant

Related forms

Examples from the Web for distant

British Dictionary definitions for distant

distant

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for distant