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   Synonyms: withdrawn, cool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

Melody Butiu, who plays the Siegels’ Filipina nanny and indispensable factotum, has a readier place in our hearts for all that she has had to sacrifice to support her distant family.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Understanding this chain reaction offers crucial insight into why Antarctic ice sheets may be inherently unstable, both in the distant past and in the modern era.

Read more on Science Daily

In your head you could hear the distant sound of thunder.

Read more on BBC

Life’s worries seem distant when we’re pedaling for hours, watching for traffic, admiring scenery, figuring out where to camp next.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Fearing that the situation will worsen as the project expands, Hube is preparing to set up a more distant site for Northern Lights viewings, which he estimates will cost around $200,000.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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