distant

UK: /ˈdɪstənt/ US: /ˈdɪstənt/ ,(dis′tənt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•tant /ˈdɪstənt/   adj. 

1. far off in space;
   remote:
   enjoyed traveling to distant lands.
2. apart or far off in time:
   [usually: before a noun] in the distant past.
3. not closely related:
   [before a noun] a distant relative.
4. (of a trip) long:
   a distant journey of several months.
5. reserved or aloof:
   In a cold and distant voice he told me to pack and leave.
6. not focused on the present:
   He gave me a distant look and I wondered if he even recognized me.

See -stan-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•tant  (dis′tənt), adj. 

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.

• Latin distant- (stem of distāns, present participle of distāre to stand apart), equivalent. to di- di-² + stā- stand + -nt- present participle suffix
• Anglo-French)
• Middle English dista(u)nt (1350–1400

dis′tant•ly, adv. 
dis′tant•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 4. cool, withdrawn.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

distant / ˈdɪstənt/ adjective

1. far away or apart in space or time
2. (postpositive) separated in space or time by a specified distance
3. apart in relevance, association, or relationship: a distant cousin
4. coming from or going to a faraway place
5. remote in manner; aloof
6. abstracted; absent: a distant look

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin distāre to be distant, from dis-¹ + stāre to stand

ˈdistantly adverb

ˈdistantness noun