remote

[ ri-moht ]

adjective

, re·mot·er, re·mot·est.

1. far apart; far distant in space; situated at some distance away:

   the remote jungles of Brazil.

   Antonyms: near, close

2. out-of-the-way; secluded:

   a remote village;

   a remote mountaintop.

   Synonyms: solitary, apart, removed, isolated

3. (of an electronic device or technical process) operating or controlled from a distance, as by remote control:

   a remote camera.

4. not direct, primary, or proximate; not directly involved or influential:

   the remote causes of the war.

5. slight or faint; unlikely:

   The committee doesn't have the remotest idea of how to address the basic issue.

   So with two games remaining, we actually have a remote chance of making the play-offs.

   Synonyms: doubtful

6. noting or relating to work, schooling, or other activities that take place away from their usual place, site, or building: Teachers have distance learning lessons prepared in advance for weather emergencies that necessitate remote instruction.

   The company allows remote work for freelancers, but full-time employees are expected to work on site.

   Teachers have distance learning lessons prepared in advance for weather emergencies that necessitate remote instruction.

7. reserved and distant in manner; not warmly cordial; aloof.

   Synonyms: withdrawn, retiring, reticent

8. far off; abstracted; removed:

   principles remote from actions.

9. distant in time:

   remote antiquity.

10. distant in relationship or connection:

    a remote ancestor.

noun

1. Radio and Television. a broadcast, usually live, from a location outside a studio.
2. remote control ( def 2 ).

remote

/ rɪˈməʊt /

adjective

1. located far away; distant
2. far from any centre of population, society, or civilization; out-of-the-way
3. distant in time
4. distantly related or connected

   a remote cousin

5. removed, as from the source or point of action
6. slight or faint (esp in the phrases not the remotest idea, a remote chance )
7. (of a person's manner) aloof or abstracted
8. operated from a distance; remote-controlled

   a remote monitor

Derived Forms

• reˈmoteness, noun
• reˈmotely, adverb

Other Words From

• re·mote·ly adverb
• re·mote·ness noun
• un·re·mote adjective
• un·re·mote·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of remote¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin remōtus, past participle of removēre “to move back”; remove, motion

Word History and Origins

Origin of remote¹

C15: from Latin remōtus far removed, from removēre , from re- + movēre to move

Example Sentences

And they’ve been detected in places as remote as Tibet and Antarctica.

From Science Magazine

This makes it possible to use a satellite connection instead of terrestrial GSM networks, which guarantees coverage even in remote wilderness regions completely independent of local infrastructure.

From Science Daily

The city doesn’t have cheap or remote land, and Bass does not believe she would need to use more aggressive tactics to get people off the street, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Defendants devised a scheme to obtain payments through the use of coercive threats from anyone with any ties to Combs — no matter how remote,” lawyers for the unnamed plaintiff wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

Hot dogs, or “meat apples,” as we’ve come to jokingly call them, are a gas station go-to in the remote Faroe Islands.

From Salon

Related Words

• distant
• far-flung
• far-off
• faraway
• inaccessible
• isolated
• lonely
• lonesome
• obscure
• outlying
• private
• secluded
• unknown