distant
gb/dˈɪstənt/ us/dˈɪstənt/
A2
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A2
relation
1
Far away in space or time
Far away from you, or happening a long time ago or in the future.
Usage pattern:
[something] is distant from [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'distant' with 'different', but 'distant' refers to space or time, not difference in kind.
Synonyms
faraway (More informal and often sounds more poetic or descriptive.)
Antonyms
near (Describes something close in distance or time, the opposite of 'distant'.)
Collocations
distant past
|distant future
|distant place
|distant memory
|distant relative
Themes
location
|time
|travel
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The mountains looked distant on the horizon.
- We often think about the distant future when making plans.
- She has a distant cousin living in Australia.
- That event happened in the distant past.
- From the shore, the ship appeared distant and small.
Learner examples
- The school is distant from my home.
- He lives in a distant city.
- We talked about the distant future.
- I remember my distant childhood.
- The island is distant from the coast.
adjective
B1
property
2
Not friendly; emotionally remote
Not friendly or warm; seeming to be apart from others.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is distant toward/from [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'distant' here means physically far away, but it can also mean emotionally far away even if physically close.
Synonyms
aloof (Often implies deliberate emotional distance or superiority.)
Antonyms
warm (Shows friendliness and emotional closeness, opposite of 'distant' in this sense.)
Collocations
seem distant
|remain distant
|emotionally distant
|become distant
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Since the argument, he has been distant toward me.
- Her distant manner made it hard to get to know her.
- They grew more distant after moving to different cities.
- He remained distant during the conversation, barely making eye contact.
Learner examples
- My friend is distant today.
- She is distant to new people.
- After the fight, he became distant.
- He is nice, but a little distant.
- They are distant from each other now.
Grammar
Dictionary form
distant
IPA
GB/dˈɪstənt/
US/dˈɪstənt/
Syllables & stress
dis - tant (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (dis)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: distant
Word family
Core family
distance
noun A2
distantly
adverb
Expressions
distant future
1/dˈɪstənt fjˈut͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
Time far ahead in future
A time that is many years ahead from now.
Examples
- We may have colonies on Mars in the distant future.
- In the distant future, technology might solve this problem.
distant memory
1/dˈɪstənt mˈɛmɚi/
fixed phrase
Memory from long ago
Something you remember from a long time ago.
Examples
- My childhood summers are now just a distant memory.
- The war is a distant memory for most people in this country.
distant past
1/dˈɪstənt pˈæst/
fixed phrase
Time far back in history
A time that happened many years ago.
Examples
- These ruins are from the distant past.
- In the distant past, people traveled only on foot.
distant relative
1/dˈɪstənt ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
fixed phrase
Family member not closely related
A person in your family, but not closely related to you.
Examples
- I met a distant relative at the reunion who I had never seen before.
- She met a distant relative at the wedding who she had never seen before.
- He's some kind of distant relative on my father's side.
- He's a distant relative of mine — our great-grandparents were siblings.