English Meaning & Definitions
Located or positioned with a significant amount of space separating one thing from another; physically or figuratively removed.
- “The small cottage stood at a distance from the main road, hidden by a row of tall pine trees.”
- “He preferred to observe the chaotic events at a distance from the crowd to maintain his objectivity.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “at a distance from”.
The phrase is a compound prepositional construction. 'At' derives from Old English 'æt', denoting proximity or location. 'Distance' comes from the Old French 'destance' and Latin 'distantia' (standing apart), while 'from' is a Germanic preposition indicating a starting point or separation. Together, the phrase evolved to describe spatial or metaphorical separation.
Think of a 'gap' (distance) that keeps you 'away' (from) something.
Frequently Asked Questions About “at a distance from”
1. What is the meaning of “at a distance from” in English?
In English, at a distance from (idiom) is defined as: “Located or positioned with a significant amount of space separating one thing from another; physically or figuratively removed.”.
2. How do you use “at a distance from” in a sentence?
“The small cottage stood at a distance from the main road, hidden by a row of tall pine trees.”
3. What are English synonyms of “at a distance from”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “at a distance from”?
The phrase is a compound prepositional construction. 'At' derives from Old English 'æt', denoting proximity or location. 'Distance' comes from the Old French 'destance' and Latin 'distantia' (standing apart), while 'from' is a Germanic preposition indicating a starting point or separation. Together, the phrase evolved to describe spatial or metaphorical separation.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.