remote
Americanadjective
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far apart; far distant in space; situated at some distance away.
the remote jungles of Brazil.
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out-of-the-way; secluded.
a remote village;
a remote mountaintop.
-
(of an electronic device or technical process) operating or controlled from a distance, as by remote control.
a remote camera.
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not direct, primary, or proximate; not directly involved or influential.
the remote causes of the war.
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slight or faint; unlikely.
The committee doesn't have the remotest idea of how to address the basic issue.
So with two games remaining, we actually have a remote chance of making the play-offs.
- Synonyms:
- doubtful
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noting or relating to work, schooling, or other activities that take place away from their usual place, site, or building: Teachers have distance learning lessons prepared in advance for weather emergencies that necessitate remote instruction.
The company allows remote work for freelancers, but full-time employees are expected to work on site.
Teachers have distance learning lessons prepared in advance for weather emergencies that necessitate remote instruction.
-
reserved and distant in manner; not warmly cordial; aloof.
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far off; abstracted; removed.
principles remote from actions.
-
distant in time.
remote antiquity.
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distant in relationship or connection.
a remote ancestor.
noun
-
remotes
plural
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Radio and Television. a broadcast, usually live, from a location outside a studio.
adjective
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located far away; distant
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far from any centre of population, society, or civilization; out-of-the-way
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distant in time
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distantly related or connected
a remote cousin
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removed, as from the source or point of action
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slight or faint (esp in the phrases not the remotest idea, a remote chance )
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(of a person's manner) aloof or abstracted
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operated from a distance; remote-controlled
a remote monitor
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of remote
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin remōtus, past participle of removēre “to move back”; see remove, motion
Explanation
Remote describes something far, far away, like a campsite way out in the woods, a distant planet, or the chance you'll win the lottery. The Australian outback is remote, since it's hard to get to and there aren't many people there. It's also remote in the sense that it's far away from civilization. Someone with a faraway look in her eye, not answering your questions is also remote. Remote can describe something unlikely, like that lottery win. You might win, but your chances are so remote you shouldn't count on it.
Vocabulary lists containing remote
"Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its scenes are remote, fragmentary and, like the melancholic king, perversely “expert in wasting everyone’s time.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The new abode sits on a 130-acre plot of land, offering lots of privacy, thanks to its remote location just outside of Nashville.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
"It allows for operations at very low altitudes -- it is controlled by a signal from space, bypassing the radio horizon and the Earth's curvature -- factors that otherwise limit ground-based remote control signals."
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
A team of researchers have arrived at a remote island to inspect possible plane wreckage of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who vanished in 1937 while flying around the world.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The guy pulls out what looks like a TV remote control.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
I also had wide and mid-range angled cameras, both mounted on a tripod to be trigged by remotes.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 14, 2024
Like his night stand, which is buried under books, charging cables and remotes to TVs she is fairly certain they no longer own.
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
This energy density cannot be achieved in the lithium-ion batteries powering most of today's battery-operated devices -- including phones, television remotes, and even electric vehicles.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 26, 2024
Then I started taking on more and more car key remotes as an essential service.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2023
Since then, however, the adaptation has been passed down: we’ve all inherited it to some degree, so that we plug right into joysticks and remotes, to repetitive motions of a hundred kinds.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
“It makes me think that it’s certainly biologically possible to have grizzly bears in those remoter corners of California,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025
This has left digital asset companies with little choice but to seek out smaller financial institutions, some in remoter corners of global finance.
From Reuters ● Apr. 19, 2023
If the lame-duck Congress approves reforms to the laws concerning how electoral votes get validated and counted, it will become remoter still.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2022
While the area’s population centers continue to seek ways of harnessing the power Montana’s outdoor economy, people like Tom Davis are doing the same in the remoter reaches of southwest Montana.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 7, 2019
“Oh, noP cried the crazy colonel in an agony out of his remoter darkness. “Oh no, your ladyship.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
A Dutch student team Tuesday unveiled what they believe to be the world's first solar-powered ambulance, which they hope can bring much-needed medical care to the remotest parts of the globe.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
She was drawn there by a desire for change and the attractive salaries Alaska offers attorneys who staff its remotest locations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"The DIY model of our solar dryer makes it portable and affordable, it can reach even the remotest village, and can be afforded by every small and marginal farmer," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2023
Satellites bring phone signals to the country’s remotest corners and help operate solar farms far from India’s megacities.
From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2023
We continue to share with our remotest ancestors the most tangled and evasive attitudes about death, despite the great distance we have come in understanding some of the profound aspects of biology.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
