far away or apart in space or time - (postpositive)
separated in space or time by a specified distance apart in relevance, association, or relationship: a distant cousin coming from or going to a faraway place remote in manner; aloof abstracted; absent: a distant look
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dis•tant /ˈdɪstənt/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- far off in space;
remote:enjoyed traveling to distant lands. - apart or far off in time:[usually: before a noun]in the distant past.
- not closely related:[before a noun]a distant relative.
- (of a trip) long:a distant journey of several months.
- reserved or aloof:In a cold and distant voice he told me to pack and leave.
- not focused on the present:He gave me a distant look and I wondered if he even recognized me.
dis•tant
(dis′tənt),USA pronunciation adj.
dis′tant•ly, adv.
dis′tant•ness, n.
- 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. - apart or far off in time:distant centuries past.
- remote or far apart in any respect:a distant relative.
- reserved or aloof;
not familiar or cordial:a distant greeting. - 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•ness, n.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged cool, withdrawn.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'distant past' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):