remote

[ri-moht]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR remote ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, re·mot·er, re·mot·est.

far apart; far distant in space; situated at some distance away: the remote jungles of Brazil.

out-of-the-way; secluded: a remote village; a remote mountaintop.

distant in time: remote antiquity.

distant in relationship or connection: a remote ancestor.

operating or controlled from a distance, as by remote control: a remote telephone answering machine.

far off; abstracted; removed: principles remote from actions.

not direct, primary, or proximate; not directly involved or influential: the remote causes of the war.

slight or faint; unlikely: not the remotest idea; a remote chance.

reserved and distant in manner; aloof; not warmly cordial.

noun

Radio and Television. a broadcast, usually live, from a location outside a studio.

remote control(def 2).

Origin of remote

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin remōtus, past participle of removēre to move back; see remove, motion

Related formsre·mote·ly, adverbre·mote·ness, nounun·re·mote, adjectiveun·re·mote·ly, adverbun·re·mote·ness, noun

Synonyms for remote

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR remote ON THESAURUS.COM

2. sequestered, isolated, removed, apart, solitary. 8. inconsiderable. 9. withdrawn.

Antonyms for remote

1. close, near.

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

Related Words for remotest

secluded, far-flung, unknown, inaccessible, isolated, private, outlying, faraway, lonely, distant, lonesome, far-off, obscure, farfetched, small, poor, slim, icy, backwoods, boondocks

Examples from the Web for remotest

Contemporary Examples of remotest

The religious right also has no leaders anymore of the remotest interest.
The Religious Right’s Slow-Motion Suicide
Michael Tomasky
September 29, 2014
I met former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates twice, both times in the remotest reaches of Afghanistan.
The Book America Needs to Read Right Now
John Kael Weston
January 20, 2014
Many of the basic cable channels with even the remotest semblance of a news presence.
The O.J. Anniversary
Michael Tomasky
June 17, 2013
Strom Thurmond today seems a figure out of the remotest historical past.
David's Bookclub: Strom Thurmond's America
David Frum
April 16, 2013
Or advanced any proposal or policy that might in even the remotest way have helped a financial contributor.
Don't Do It, Chris!
Matt Latimer
September 30, 2011

Historical Examples of remotest

Within a few minutes, it was heard in the remotest room in the College.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
"I haven't the remotest idea," said Davenport, as if vastly bored.
The Mystery of Murray Davenport
Robert Neilson Stephens
"I haven't the remotest idea, Tony," Jan replied, with the utmost sincerity.
Jan and Her Job
L. Allen Harker
I laughed, for I thought what he hinted at to be of the remotest likelihood.
Recollections of Dante Gabriel Rossetti
T. Hall Caine
"Naturally, I haven't the remotest notion," replied his father.
The Missionary
George Griffith

British Dictionary definitions for remotest

remote

adjective

located far away; distant

far from any centre of population, society, or civilization; out-of-the-way

distant in time

distantly related or connecteda remote cousin

removed, as from the source or point of action

slight or faint (esp in the phrases not the remotest idea, a remote chance)

(of a person's manner) aloof or abstracted

operated from a distance; remote-controlleda remote monitor

Derived Formsremotely, adverbremoteness, noun

Word Origin for remote

C15: from Latin remōtus far removed, from removēre, from re- + movēre to move

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

Word Origin and History for remotest

remote

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French remot or directly from Latin remotus "afar off, remote, distant in place," past participle of removere "move back or away" (see remove (v.)). Related: Remotely; remoteness. Remote control "fact of controlling from a distance" is recorded from 1904; as a device which allows this from 1920.