distant
/ˈdɪstənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdɪstənt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdi-stənt/ (ame, mw)
distant — 形容詞
- distantpositive
- more distantcomparative
- most distantsuperlative
1. located a long way from where you are, often beyond what you can see clearly or
遙遠的
空間上距離很遠的
located a long way from where you are, often beyond what you can see clearly or reach easily
Sumin could see the distant mountains from her bedroom window.
Sumin 能從她臥室的窗戶看到遠處的山。
distant + noun for far-away places
Eitan heard a distant train whistle as he walked home through the park.
Eitan 在穿過公園回家時聽到了遠方的火車鳴笛聲。
The distant lights of the city guided Saira through the dark fields.
遠方的城市燈光引導 Saira 穿過黑暗的田野。
Soraya's hometown is too distant for a weekend trip from here.
Soraya 的家鄉離這裡太遠了，沒辦法週末去一趟。
Wren pointed at a distant island that was barely visible through the morning mist.
Wren 指著遠處一座在晨霧中幾乎看不見的小島。
2. related to you through family but not by a close tie such as being a parent, chi
遠親的
血緣關係不密切的
related to you through family but not by a close tie such as being a parent, child, or sibling
Andrés received a letter from a distant cousin in Argentina he had never met.
Andrés 收到一位素未謀面的遠房表親從阿根廷寄來的信。
distant cousin — standard term for not closely related family
Roya invited several distant relatives to the family reunion last summer.
Roya 去年夏天邀請了幾位遠親參加家庭聚會。
Iker discovered that his new classmate was a distant relation on his father's side.
Iker 發現他的新同學是他父親那邊的遠親。
Amelia learned about a distant aunt who had been a famous painter in the 1950s.
Amelia 得知有一位遠房阿姨在一九五零年代曾是知名畫家。
Apinya stayed with a distant family member while visiting the capital city.
Apinya 在訪問首都時住在一位遠親家裡。
- remote
slightly more formal; less common in everyday conversation about family
文法句型
distant + family noun
用法筆記
This sense of 'distant' is almost always used before a family noun such as 'relative', 'cousin', 'relation', 'aunt', 'uncle', or 'family member'. It is rarely used predicatively — for example, we say 'a distant cousin' but not 'the cousin is distant'.
常見錯誤
3. used to describe a moment that sits far from the present, whether long before no
久遠的
時間上相隔很久的
used to describe a moment that sits far from the present, whether long before now or long after now
Brandon often thinks about the distant past and how things were different then.
Brandon 經常想起遙遠的過去，懷念那時候一切是多麼不同。
the distant past — standard phrase
Yael dreams of a distant future where people live in cities on the Moon.
Yael 夢想一個遙遠的未來，那時人們住在月球上的城市裡。
Sumin's grandmother has only a distant memory of the house where she grew up.
Sumin 的祖母對她長大的老房子只有模糊久遠的記憶。
Eitan studied ruins from a distant time when the city was first built by settlers.
Eitan 研究來自一個久遠年代的遺跡，當時這座城市才剛由移民建立。
Saira hopes that in the distant future her grandchildren will see a cleaner planet.
Saira 希望遙遠的未來她的孫輩們能看到一個更乾淨的地球。
文法句型
the distant + time noun
用法筆記
Typically appears before time nouns such as 'past', 'future', 'age', 'era', or 'time'. When referring to the past, 'distant' is more common with 'past' or 'memory' than with specific date references.
常見錯誤
4. only used in negative phrases such as 'not too distant' to mean fairly soon in t
不久的
即將來臨的（用於否定句）
only used in negative phrases such as 'not too distant' to mean fairly soon in time
Soraya plans to buy her first house in the not too distant future.
Soraya 計劃在不久的將來買她的第一棟房子。
in the not too distant future — fixed phrase meaning fairly soon
Wren said the company would launch the new product in the not too distant future.
Wren 說該公司將在不久的將來推出新產品。
Andrés believes peace talks will resume in the not too distant future.
Andrés 相信和平談判將在不久的將來重新啟動。
Roya expects warmer weather across the whole country in the not too distant future.
Roya 預計在不久的將來全國各地都會變得更暖和。
- far-off
the meaning of 'distant' in its temporal sense without negation
文法句型
not too distant
用法筆記
This sense only occurs in the negated pattern 'not too distant', almost always in the set phrase 'in the not too distant future'. Outside this phrase, 'distant' by itself means the opposite — far in the future — so learners should not drop the negation.
常見錯誤
5. showing little emotion and behaving in a cold, unfriendly way that keeps others
冷漠的
冷淡而不願親近的
showing little emotion and behaving in a cold, unfriendly way that keeps others from feeling close to you
Iker seemed distant at the party and barely spoke to anyone all evening.
Iker 在派對上顯得冷漠，幾乎一整晚都沒跟任何人說話。
seemed distant — predicative use with link verb
Amelia's distant expression made it hard for the new students to approach her.
Amelia 冷漠的表情讓新同學很難主動靠近她。
Apinya grew distant after her best friend moved to another country for work.
Apinya 在她最好的朋友搬到另一個國家工作後變得越來越冷漠。
Brandon's distant attitude towards the project team hurt everyone's motivation.
Brandon 對團隊成員的冷漠態度傷害了每個人的工作熱情。
Yael appeared cold and distant during the meeting, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
Yael 在會議上看起來既冷淡又疏離，避開所有人的目光。
文法句型
distant + look/manner/attitude
seem/grow/become distant
常見錯誤
6. very different from something else in quality, nature, or character, so that the
截然不同的
性質或特徵差異很大的
very different from something else in quality, nature, or character, so that there is little connection between them
Sumin's political views are distant from those of her parents.
Sumin 的政治觀點與她父母截然不同。
distant from — followed by object of comparison
Eitan found that his new job was distant from anything he had studied at university.
Eitan 發現他的新工作與他在大學所學的任何東西都相差甚遠。
The traditions of the small village felt distant from the busy city life Saira knew.
那個小村莊的傳統與 Saira 所熟悉的繁忙城市生活感覺截然不同。
Soraya felt that modern art seemed distant from the classic paintings she had always loved.
Soraya 覺得現代藝術與她一直喜愛的經典畫作似乎截然不同。
- distinct
less strong than 'distant'; suggests clear but not necessarily large differences
- dissimilar
more formal, directly states lack of similarity without spatial metaphor
- removed
suggests a mental or cultural gap rather than a concrete difference
文法句型
distant from + noun phrase
用法筆記
This sense is almost always followed by 'from' — 'X is distant from Y'. It is more formal than 'very different from' and emphasizes a lack of connection rather than just contrast.