distant

distant — adjective

1. located a long way from where you are, often beyond what you can see clearly or

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

located a long way from where you are, often beyond what you can see clearly or reach easily

Example

Sumin could see the distant mountains from her bedroom window.

distant + noun for far-away places

Eitan heard a distant train whistle as he walked home through the park.

Common collocations
  • distant mountains
  • distant land
  • distant shore
  • distant place
  • distant sound
  • distant light
Synonyms
  • far-off

    more poetic or storytelling register; less common in everyday speech

  • remote

    emphasizes isolation and lack of access, often of rural areas

  • faraway

    similar meaning but slightly more literary, often used before nouns

Antonyms

2. related to you through family but not by a close tie such as being a parent, chi

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

related to you through family but not by a close tie such as being a parent, child, or sibling

Example

Andrés received a letter from a distant cousin in Argentina he had never met.

distant cousin — standard term for not closely related family

Roya invited several distant relatives to the family reunion last summer.

Common collocations
  • distant relative
  • distant cousin
  • distant relation
  • distant aunt
  • distant uncle
  • distant family member
Synonyms
  • remote

    slightly more formal; less common in everyday conversation about family

Antonyms
  • close

    as in 'close relative' — a family member with a direct tie

  • immediate

    as in 'immediate family' — parents, siblings, spouse, children

Grammar Patterns

distant + family noun

Usage Note

This sense of 'distant' is almost always used before a family noun such as 'relative', 'cousin', 'relation', 'aunt', 'uncle', or 'family member'. It is rarely used predicatively — for example, we say 'a distant cousin' but not 'the cousin is distant'.

Common Mistakes

She is a distant from me relative.
She is a distant relative of mine.
the family noun must come immediately after 'distant'.
My distant sister lives in Canada.
My distant cousin lives in Canada.
'distant' is not used with immediate family terms like sister, brother, or mother.

3. used to describe a moment that sits far from the present, whether long before no

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

used to describe a moment that sits far from the present, whether long before now or long after now

Example

Brandon often thinks about the distant past and how things were different then.

the distant past — standard phrase

Yael dreams of a distant future where people live in cities on the Moon.

Common collocations
  • distant past
  • distant future
  • distant memory
  • distant age
  • distant time
Synonyms
  • remote

    slightly more formal, often used for past eras ('remote antiquity')

  • far-off

    more literary, used in storytelling about time as well as space

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the distant + time noun

Usage Note

Typically appears before time nouns such as 'past', 'future', 'age', 'era', or 'time'. When referring to the past, 'distant' is more common with 'past' or 'memory' than with specific date references.

Common Mistakes

I met her in a distant year.
I met her a long time ago.
'distant' does not combine freely with all time expressions; 'distant year/month/day' is unnatural.

4. only used in negative phrases such as 'not too distant' to mean fairly soon in t

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

only used in negative phrases such as 'not too distant' to mean fairly soon in time

Example

Soraya plans to buy her first house in the not too distant future.

in the not too distant future — fixed phrase meaning fairly soon

Wren said the company would launch the new product in the not too distant future.

Common collocations
  • not too distant future
Synonyms
  • near

    direct and simpler; 'the near future' is the standard alternative

  • imminent

    more formal and suggests something is about to happen very soon

Antonyms
  • far-off

    the meaning of 'distant' in its temporal sense without negation

Grammar Patterns

not too distant

Usage Note

This sense only occurs in the negated pattern 'not too distant', almost always in the set phrase 'in the not too distant future'. Outside this phrase, 'distant' by itself means the opposite — far in the future — so learners should not drop the negation.

Common Mistakes

The exam is in the distant future.' (meaning soon)
The exam is in the not too distant future.
without 'not too', 'distant future' means very far away, the opposite of the intended meaning.

5. showing little emotion and behaving in a cold, unfriendly way that keeps others

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

showing little emotion and behaving in a cold, unfriendly way that keeps others from feeling close to you

Example

Iker seemed distant at the party and barely spoke to anyone all evening.

seemed distant — predicative use with link verb

Amelia's distant expression made it hard for the new students to approach her.

Common collocations
  • distant manner
  • distant look
  • distant expression
  • distant attitude
  • seem distant
  • grow distant
  • become distant
Synonyms
  • aloof

    similar meaning but slightly more formal; implies deliberate emotional separation

  • cold

    stronger negative connotation; suggests a complete lack of warmth

  • reserved

    more neutral; describes someone who keeps to themselves without being unfriendly

Antonyms
  • warm

    friendly and emotionally open

  • friendly

    pleasant and approachable

Grammar Patterns

distant + look/manner/attitude

seem/grow/become distant

Common Mistakes

He was distant because he was tired.
He seemed distant because he was lost in thought.
'distant' describes emotional coldness, not physical or mental tiredness. Use 'distracted' or 'preoccupied' for temporary inattention.

6. very different from something else in quality, nature, or character, so that the

6.adjectiveB2
Definition

very different from something else in quality, nature, or character, so that there is little connection between them

Example

Sumin's political views are distant from those of her parents.

distant from — followed by object of comparison

Eitan found that his new job was distant from anything he had studied at university.

Common collocations
  • distant from
  • far distant from
  • worlds distant from
Synonyms
  • distinct

    less strong than 'distant'; suggests clear but not necessarily large differences

  • dissimilar

    more formal, directly states lack of similarity without spatial metaphor

  • removed

    suggests a mental or cultural gap rather than a concrete difference

Antonyms
  • similar

    alike in many ways

  • close

    nearly the same; sharing many features

Grammar Patterns

distant from + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense is almost always followed by 'from' — 'X is distant from Y'. It is more formal than 'very different from' and emphasizes a lack of connection rather than just contrast.

Common Mistakes

This style is distant to that style.
This style is distant from that style.
the correct preposition is 'from', not 'to'.
Idioms

the (dim and) distant past

idiom

A time that happened very long ago.

Grandma often tells us stories from the dim distant past.

In the distant past, dinosaurs lived on Earth.

in the not too distant future

idiom

A time that is fairly soon, not very far from now.

Maya hopes to visit Japan in the not too distant future.

Will we have flying cars in the not too distant future?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a large distance from the speaker, but they differ in tone and context. 'Far' is the most general and neutral — it works in almost any situation ('a far country', 'how far is it?'). 'Remote' adds a sense of isolation and inaccessibility ('a remote village in the mountains'). 'Far-off' carries a slightly literary or storytelling feel and is common in narrative descriptions of places ('a far-off land across the sea'). 'Faraway' is similar to 'far-off' but even more poetic; it often appears in nostalgic or dreamy contexts ('a faraway look in her eyes'). In everyday conversation, 'distant' and 'far' are the most natural choices. For example: 'We could see a distant ship on the horizon' sounds natural, while 'We could see a far-off ship on the horizon' sounds more like a line from a story.

far ↗remote ↗far-off ↗faraway ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'distant' entered English in the 14th century through Old French, coming from the Latin 'distans', the present participle of 'distare' — meaning 'to stand apart'. 'Distare' was formed by combining 'dis-' (apart) with 'stare' (to stand). Originally the word described physical separation in space; over time its meaning extended to family relationships, time, personal behaviour, and conceptual differences.