distant

distant, far, faraway, far-off, remote, removed mean not near or close but separated by an obvious interval especially in space or in time.

Distant carries a stronger reference to the length of the interval (whether long or short) than the other terms; only when it directly qualifies a noun does it necessarily imply that the interval is markedly long

{

a book held six inches distant from the eyes

}

{

the sun is about 93,000,000 miles distant from the earth

}

{

a distant city

}

{

the other item, on a distant page, was cheerfully headed "Food from Sewage"— Krutch

}

{

at a distant date

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{

I do not ask to see the distant scene,—one step enough for me— Newman

}

Far, except for the possible reference to a short distance involved in the question "How farT applies (as adverb as well as adjective) only to what is a long way off

{

[he] took his journey into a far country— Lk 15:13

}

{

take a far view in planning for future needs of the city

}

{

go back in the far past to a common origin— Kroeber

}

{

across the hills, and far away beyond their utmost purple rim— Tennyson

}

Faraway and far-off not only mean extremely far but are preferred when distance in time is specifically implied

{

old, unhappy, far-off things, and battles long ago— Wordsworth

}

However, both may suggest distance in space

{

a cheer that started the echo in a faraway hill— Stevenson

}

{

the far-off places in which he had been wandering— Dickens

}

Remote suggests a far removal, especially from something (as one's present location, one's point of view, or one's time) regarded as a center or vantage ground

{

some forlorn and naked hermitage, remote from all the pleasures of the world— Shak.

}

{

the sands of a remote and lonely shore— Shelley

}

{

whose nature it was to care more for immediate annoyances than for remote consequences— George Eliot

}

Removed, which is usually a predicate adjective, carries a stronger implication of separateness and distinction than remote; it therefore usually implies a contrast between two things apart not only in space or in time but in character or quality

{

an age far removed from the present age in its accomplishments and ideals

}

{

he sought a retreat removed from all centers of population

}

{

with peace as far removed as it had been at the time of his election— Paxsori

}

Figuratively, distant implies slightness of connection or aloofness of manner

{

a distant resemblance

}

{

a distant nod

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Remote imputes to the thing so described a foreign or alien character or an inaccessible nature

{

I told Oliver about your modern monastery; but the thing is too remote from his experience to have any interest for him— Santayana

}

{

the captain of a ship at sea is a remote, inaccessible creature . . . alone of his kind, depending on nobody— Conrad

}

Removed stresses difference, often a diametrical or antithetical difference

{

to Queen Scheherazade the dream might have seemed not far removed from commonplace— Hardy

}

{

he was not an oracle removed from the people, but a real human being— Bok

}

{

he accepted the nomination for considerations entirely removed from those influencing the average candidate

}

Contrasted words: near, *close, nigh, nearby