Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
distant - 3 dictionary results

dis⋅tant

  [dis-tuhnt]
Use distant in a Sentence
–adjective
1. far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed (often fol. by from): 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.
5. arriving from or going to a distance, as a communication, journey, etc.: I have here a distant letter from Japan.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME dista(u)nt (< AF) < L distant- (s. of distāns, prp. of distāre to stand apart), equiv. to di- di- 2 + stā- stand + -nt- prp. suffix

Related forms:
dis⋅tant⋅ly, adverb
dis⋅tant⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
4. cool, withdrawn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To distant
dis·tant   (dĭs'tənt)   
adj.  
    1. Separate or apart in space.
    2. Far removed; remote: distant lands.
  2. Coming from or going to a distance: a distant sound; a distant telephone call.
  3. Far removed or apart in time: the distant past; distant events.
  4. Far apart in relationship: a distant cousin.
  5. Minimally similar: a distant likeness.
  6. Far removed mentally: distant thoughts.
  7. Aloof or chilly: a distant smile.

[Middle English distaunt, from Old French, from Latin distāns, distant-, present participle of distāre, to be remote : dis-, apart; see dis- + stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
dis'tant·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Distant

Dis"tant\, a. [F., fr. L. distans, -antis, p. pr. of distare to stand apart, be separate or distant; dis- + stare to stand. See Stand.]

1. Separated; having an intervening space; at a distance; away.

One board had two tenons, equally distant. --Ex. xxxvi. 22.

Diana's temple is not distant far. --Shak.

2. Far separated; far off; not near; remote; -- in place, time, consanguinity, or connection; as, distant times; distant relatives.

The success of these distant enterprises. --Prescott.

3. Reserved or repelling in manners; cold; not cordial; somewhat haughty; as, a distant manner.

He passed me with a distant bow. --Goldsmith.

4. Indistinct; faint; obscure, as from distance.

Some distant knowledge. --Shak.

A distant glimpse. --W. Irving.

5. Not conformable; discrepant; repugnant; as, a practice so widely distant from Christianity.

Syn: Separate; far; remote; aloof; apart; asunder; slight; faint; indirect; indistinct.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : distant
Spanish: distante, alejado, lejos (de),
German: entfernt,
Japanese: 遠い
More Translations »
Search another word or see distant on Thesaurus | Reference