Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - distant

~ adj 1 »FAR AWAY« far from where you are now  (the distant sound of traffic | Nora gazed at the distant hills.) 2 »UNFRIENDLY« unfriendly and showing no emotion  (After the quarrel Susan remained cold and distant.) 3 »RELATIVE« only before noun not very closely related to you  (a distant cousin) 4 in the (dim and) distant past a long time ago 5 in the not too distant future used when talking about what will happen in a few months or years from now  (The President hopes to visit Ireland in the not too distant future.) - distantly adv