far-off

far-off — adjective

1. describing a time that lies many years in the past or many years in the future —

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a time that lies many years in the past or many years in the future — for example, the far-off days of one's childhood, or a far-off generation yet to be born.

Example

The old photos made Dario think of far-off days from his childhood.

far-off days — typical collocation for past time

In some far-off future, scientists hope to find a cure for every disease.

Common collocations
  • far-off days
  • far-off future
  • far-off past
  • far-off times
  • far-off year
  • far-off era
Synonyms
  • distant

    neutral and more common in both speech and writing

  • remote

    suggests an even greater distance, slightly more formal

  • ancient

    only for the distant past, not the future

Antonyms
  • recent

    of the near past

  • near

    of time close to the present; less common for future

Grammar Patterns

far-off + time noun (days, future, past, years, era)

Usage Note

Nearly always used before a noun related to time (days, future, past, years, era). The predicative position (e.g. 'those days seem far-off') is possible but much less common; in that case the hyphen is sometimes dropped.

Common Mistakes

I will call you in the far-off future.
I will call you in the distant future.
'far-off' sounds dramatic or literary; in everyday conversation, 'distant' is more natural.

2. describing a place that is very far away from where you are or where you live —

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a place that is very far away from where you are or where you live — for example, a far-off island reached only by boat, or a far-off star visible through a telescope.

Example

Vikram dreamed of visiting far-off countries he had only seen in travel magazines.

far-off + country/land/island — typical attributive use for places

The ship took three months to reach that far-off island in the southern ocean.

Common collocations
  • far-off country
  • far-off land
  • far-off island
  • far-off place
  • far-off city
  • far-off village
Synonyms
  • distant

    neutral and the most common alternative for spatial distance

  • remote

    emphasises isolation and difficulty of access

  • faraway

    slightly more informal, common in stories and travel writing

Antonyms
  • nearby

    close in space

  • close

    short distance away; less literary than 'nearby'

Grammar Patterns

far-off + place noun (country, island, land, city, village)

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively before nouns for places (country, land, island, city, village). When the meaning is spatial distance after a linking verb, the two-word form 'far off' (without hyphen) is preferred: 'The coast was still far off.'

Common Mistakes

The supermarket is far-off from my house.
The supermarket is far from my house.
After a linking verb, use 'far from' or 'far off' without a hyphen; 'far-off' before a noun only.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All three alternatives can replace far-off when describing a place, but each adds a different shade. Distant is the most neutral and versatile — it works for measurable distance ('a distant star') and emotional distance ('a distant relative') without any special tone. Remote emphasises isolation and inaccessibility: a remote village might be hard to reach by road, while a far-off village is simply far away. Faraway has a softer, more romantic or storybook feel — children's tales often begin with 'once upon a time, in a faraway land'. In everyday speech, distant is safest; in descriptive or literary writing, faraway and far-off add colour; remote is best when the key idea is seclusion or difficulty of access.

distant ↗remote ↗faraway ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Far-off is a compound of the Old English words 'feor' (meaning 'to a great distance') and 'of' (meaning 'away, from'). The two words were used together as a phrase as early as the 13th century, with the hyphenated compound adjective 'far-off' appearing in the 16th–17th centuries. The spatial sense ('a far-off land') developed first; the temporal sense ('far-off days') followed later as a natural extension — just as distance in space can be long, so can distance in time.