|Origin:||distans, present participle of distare 'to stand apart', from stare 'to stand'|
far away in space or time:
the sound of distant gunfire
Her honeymoon seemed a distant memory.
That affair was in the dim and distant past (=a long time ago).
The President hopes to visit Ireland in the not too distant future (=quite soon).
stars that are distant from our galaxy
After the quarrel Sue remained cold and distant.
thinking deeply about something private, rather than about what is happening around you:
Geri had a distant look in her eyes.
not closely related to you [≠ close]:
relative[only before noun]SSF
a distant cousin
different from something or not closely connected with it:
The reality of independence was distant from the hopes they had had.
We are distantly related.