1
general::
far
adverb a long distance – used mainly in negatives and questions, or after ‘too’, ‘so’, and ‘as’:
• It’s not far to the airport from here. • Have you driven far? • The ship was so far away we could hardly see it.
a long way
adverb a long distance from somewhere. This is the most common way of talking about long distances, except in negatives and questions when far is also common:
• You must be tired – you’ve come a long way. • It’s a long way down from the top of the cliff. • I can’t see things that are a long way away .
miles
adverb informal a very long way:
• We hiked miles. • The school is miles away from where I live.
in the distance
adverb a long way from where you are now – used when talking about things that seem small or sounds that seem quiet because they are a long way away:
• Dogs were barking somewhere in the distance.
distant
adjective especially written used about something that is a long distance from where you are now, and looks small or sounds quiet:
• By now, the plane was just a distant speck in the sky. • the rumble of distant thunder
faraway
adjective especially written a very long distance from where you are now:
• a traveller from a faraway land • His voice sounded faraway. • He told us stories about the faraway countries he had visited.
remote
adjective a remote place is a long distance from other places, and few people go there:
• The helicopter crashed in a remote part of the country. • remote holiday destinations
isolated
adjective an isolated place is a long distance from other towns, buildings, or people, and there is very little communication with surrounding places:
• isolated rural areas of Nepal • Occasionally we passed through a small isolated village. • If you travel to isolated areas, make sure you have a good guide.
off the beaten track
( also off the beaten path American English ) adverb a place that is off the beaten track is a long distance from the places where people usually go, and often seems interesting and different because of this:
• She likes to go to places that are a bit off the beaten track.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with FAR, Also see AS FAR AS; AS FAR AS POSSIBLE; AS FAR AS THAT GOES; BY FAR; CARRY TOO FAR; FEW AND FAR BETWEEN; GO FAR; GO SO FAR AS TO; GO TOO FAR; SO FAR; SO FAR SO GOOD.
American Heritage Idioms