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distant

distant

110 2.9
Far away in time, long before now or far in the future
  • adjective
  • /ˈdɪstənt/
translation icon : remoto
  • And so the Mosasaur helped to support Cuvier's hypothesis that several universal cataclysms occurred on Earth in the distant past.
  • the distant past
  • the distant future
  • a distant memory

It's fascinating when the echoes of people from a distant past are seen today.

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Examples

  • In the Arctic, climate change isn't a distant threat in the future.

  • A closer relationship may emerge in the distant future once the dreams attached to sovereignty fade.

    Academic text (1992)
  • And so imagine that you are in a in the distant future.

  • This is a yet further past, and then this is a much more distant past.

  • Hopefully we'll get to meet in person at some point in the not too distant post COVID world.

  • A planet that burned like a green star in the distant heavens.

  • The moon had come out over the distant mountains and filled the sky with orange.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • When we talk about the distant past, we often use the word prehistory.

  • It's fascinating when the echoes of people from a distant past are seen today.

  • In the distant past, ancient civilizations built impressive structures that still amaze us today.

Synonyms

far
vsdistant
701 1.0

At a time a long way in the past or future

is the general descriptor that likewise covers past and future
far-off
vsdistant
45 4.2

Very far away in place or time

signals temporal distance without the added sense of extreme degree
remote
vsdistant
40 5.1

Far away in time, long ago or in the future

expresses the temporal sense without extra nuance
faraway
vsdistant
34 2.8

Far from here in place or time

focuses specifically on temporal remoteness rather than space
worlds away
vsdistant
  • Informal
20 6.8

Very different in life, feeling, or situation

denotes literal time separation rather than metaphorical difference
long-ago
vsdistant
8 4.8

From a time very long ago

covers both past and future rather than past only
long long ago
vsdistant
  • Literature
1 3.5

A time very far in the past often used to begin a story

is the neutral temporal term without storytelling implication

Antonyms

570 1.3

Happening at once without any delay

392 1.0

Being in a place or at an event

Compounds

7.2

A hope that seems unlikely to come true

How Distant

ancient
3.4
remote
40 5.1
distant
110 2.9
near
391 1.0
recent
1.0

Surface Forms

distant positive
distanter comparative
distantest superlative

Morphology

distant = distance (transparent) = distance + ant

The temporal sense ('far removed in time') is a direct extension of 'distance' to time and is easily inferable.

Etymology

Distant comes from the parts dis- 'apart' and stand 'to stand', so a 'distant' time is one that 'stands apart' from now and feels far in the past or future.