remote

[ri-moht]

adjective

remoter, remotest 

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   Synonyms: withdrawn, retiring, reticent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.

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

Other Word Forms

• remotely adverb
• remoteness noun
• unremote adjective
• unremoteness 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

Aid workers on donkeys have delivered the first humanitarian supplies to survivors of a landslide that reportedly killed hundreds of people in a remote mountain village in Sudan's western Darfur region.

From BBC

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Afghanistan's remote south-eastern region on Thursday night, the third quake in six days, as the death toll from the first continued to rise.

From BBC

While the process of building modular is not cheaper than a regular build, it is faster, especially in a remote desert location.

From Los Angeles Times

Disaster has forced quicker construction even in this remote place, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Rescuers are using helicopters to search for survivors in the ruins of remote villages in eastern Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake killed 800 people and injured 1,800 others.

From BBC

Related Words

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