distantly
In removed fashion
Distantly describes something happening from afar or with emotional remoteness.
Physical distance: I could hear thunder distantly rumbling.
Emotional reserve: She smiled distantly, lost in thought.
Slight connection: We're distantly related—third cousins, I think.
The word often suggests detachment or vagueness rather than mere physical separation.
Without emotional warmth
- coollyIn unruffled manner
- alooflyIn detached manner
- detachedlyIn uninvolved manner
- reservedlyWith emotional restraint
indifferently · impassively · dispassionately · unemotionally · remotely · standoffishly · frostily · icily
From a distance
- looselyWithout being tight
- tangentiallyIn a loosely related way
- peripherallyIn a marginal way
- marginallyTo a minor extent
vaguely · slightly · tenuously · nominally · secondarily · indirectly · obscurely · faintly
In unclear fashion
barely · loosely · superficially · tangentially · marginally · passingly · fleetingly · subtly
In times past
- long agoIn the distant past
- historicallyIn past times
- remotelyFrom a distance
- formerlyIn the past
ages past · prehistorically · primordially · memorially · generationally · epochally · eons · millennia
coldly
Without emotional warmth
- coollyIn unruffled manner
- alooflyIn detached manner
- detachedlyIn uninvolved manner
reservedly · indifferently · impassively · dispassionately · unemotionally · remotely · standoffishly · frostily · icily · withdrawn
remotely
From a distance
- looselyWithout being tight
- tangentiallyIn a loosely related way
- peripherallyIn a marginal way
marginally · vaguely · slightly · tenuously · nominally · secondarily · indirectly · obscurely · faintly · barely
vaguely
In unclear fashion
remotely · barely · loosely · superficially · tangentially · marginally · passingly · fleetingly · subtly · dimly
anciently
In times past
- long agoIn the distant past
- historicallyIn past times
- remotelyFrom a distance
ages past · formerly · prehistorically · primordially · memorially · generationally · epochally · eons · millennia · centuries
faraway
At great distance
afar · yonder · miles away · far-off · removed · outlying · beyond · overseas · abroad · across
distantlyclosely
In proximity or detail
nearby · near · proximately · adjacently · within reach
distantlyintimately
In a private, personal manner
closely · warmly · affectionately · familiarly · affably
- distant pastLong-ago era
- distant futureTime very far ahead
- distant thunderRemote storm sound
- socially distantSeparated for safety
- distant shoresRemote coastal destinations
- distant hills