French Conversation · Level 7
87 words
French word
distant
Pronunciation
IPA/distɑ̃/
Meaning
- adjectivefar
Example
La plage est distante.
The beach is far away.
More examples
Son attitude distante a surpris ses amis.
His distant attitude surprised his friends.
Core concept
A person or place held at a noticeable remove, with space or reserve between it and others.
Common phrases
une attitude distante
a distant attitude
se montrer distant
to act distant
Similar words
éloigné: Located at a distance that makes approach difficult.
lointain: Situated very far away.
isolé: Separated from surrounding people or places and alone.
Definition in French
Qui se trouve à une certaine distance, soit dans l'espace soit au sens figuré, et qui marque une séparation ou un éloignement.
Word origin
French distant comes from Latin distantem, the present participle of distare, meaning 'to stand apart', and developed from physical separation to figurative reserve.
Usage tips
- For everyday physical distance, French often uses loin or être loin de, while distant is somewhat more formal or literary.
Other meanings
- aloofadjective
- distantadjective
Opposites
- chaleureuxwarmadjective
- accessibleapproachableadjective
Related words
- distancedistancenoun