distant

[dis-tuhnt]

adjective

1. far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed (often followed byfrom ).

   a distant place; a town three miles distant from here.

2. apart or far off in time.

   distant centuries past.

3. remote or far apart in any respect.

   a distant relative.

4. reserved or aloof; not familiar or cordial.

   a distant greeting.

   Synonyms: withdrawn, cool

5. arriving from or going to a distance, as a communication, journey, etc..

   I have here a distant letter from Japan.

distant

/ ˈdɪstənt /

adjective

1. far away or apart in space or time

2. (postpositive) separated in space or time by a specified distance

3. apart in relevance, association, or relationship

   a distant cousin

4. coming from or going to a faraway place

   a distant journey

5. remote in manner; aloof

6. abstracted; absent

   a distant look

Other Word Forms

• distantly adverb
• distantness noun
• overdistant adjective
• overdistantly adverb
• quasi-distant adjective
• quasi-distantly adverb
• ultradistant adjective
• undistant adjective
• undistantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of distant¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dista(u)nt, from Anglo-French, from Latin distant-, stem of distāns “standing apart,” present participle of distāre “to stand apart,” from di- di- ² + stāre “to stand”; stand

Word History and Origins

Origin of distant¹

C14: from Latin distāre to be distant, from _dis- ¹ + stāre to stand

Example Sentences

For nearly 100 years, scientists have been intrigued by the fossils of Paranthropus robustus, a sturdy, distant cousin of early humans.

Read more on Science Daily

She looked past them, back to the distant lights of the farm buildings.

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He and other board members said the plan will help L.A. weather droughts, become more locally self-sufficient and take less water from distant sources.

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If the relationship with Xabi Alonso remains distant and the substitutions continue, that hesitation will persist.

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"While interactions between stem cells and their neighboring cells influence how a stem cell reacts immediately, distant interactions may control how that same stem cell responds to big changes in an organism."

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Related Words

• far 
• far-flung 
• far-off 
• inaccessible 
• isolated 
• obscure 
• remote 
• removed 
• secluded