distant

adjective

dis·​tant ˈdi-stənt 

1

a

: separated in space : away

a mile distant

b

: situated at a great distance (see distance entry 1 sense 2a) : far-off

a distant galaxy

c

: having a great amount of separation between each other : separated by a great distance from each other : far apart

visiting distant places

distant campuses

d

: far behind

finished a distant third

2

: separated in a relationship other than spatial

a distant cousin

the distant past

3

: different in kind

from two very distant backgrounds

4

: reserved or aloof in personal relationship : cold

was distant and distracted

5

a

: going a long distance

distant voyages

b

: concerned with remote (see remote entry 1 sense 2) things

distant thoughts

distantly adverb

distantness noun

Synonyms of distant

• away
• far
• deep
• removed
• remote

Examples of distant in a Sentence

In the distant past, dinosaurs roamed the earth.

The day I left home is now a distant memory.

Recent Examples on the Web

Supermassive black holes in distant galaxies can flare powerfully, appearing and then disappearing from view as well. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2026

Orbital connections can also follow more direct paths between distant destinations. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026

Most of the human drama is relegated to the distant background, as Pálfi mines the humor from his movie’s conceit by using the restaurant as a lens onto the hen’s predicament rather than the other way around. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026

Voyager, 1, humanity's most distant spacecraft, is back in contact after briefly losing touch with Earth last month. — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin distant-, distans, present participle of distare to stand apart, be distant, from dis- + stare to stand — more at stand

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing distant

• distant look in someone's eye
• in the not too distant future
• the dim and distant past

Rhymes for distant

• assistant
• consistent
• existent
• insistent
• persistent
• resistant
• subsistent
• coexistent
• equidistant
• inconsistent
• nonexistent
• preexistent

Kids Definition

distant

adjective

dis·​tant ˈdis-tənt 

1

a

: separated in space or time : away

b

: being at a great distance : far-off

distant galaxies

c

: far apart

2

: not close in relationship

distant cousin

3

: cold entry 1 sense 2, unfriendly

distantly adverb

distantness noun