far

Formsfarther, further, farthest, furthest

Formsfarther, further, farthest, furthest, farthermost, furthermost

1. 1
   great distancesadverb

   A long way, whether measured in distance, time, or degree.

   The sound of the bells carried far across the valley.

   Historians trace the custom far back into the medieval period.

   UsageIn plain positive sentences a long way often sounds more natural (we walked a long way); far suits questions, negatives and too far.

   Similarwidely, deep

   Oppositenear, close

   Note

   With a limit attached it slides from distance to conduct, and someone who has gone too far has overstepped rather than overtraveled.

2. 2
   adverb

   Very much; by a great amount or degree.

   The repairs cost far more than the original estimate.

   Her second novel is far darker than her first.

   UsageGoes with comparatives and too: far better, far more, far too fast. With most plain adjectives, use very: very rich.

   Similarmuch, considerably, significantly, substantially, vastly

   Oppositeslightly, marginally, somewhat

   Note

   With below or above, it keeps a trace of the distance adverb: far below me.

3. 3
   adjective

   A long way off in space or time; of a journey, long.

   City planners have to make decisions today that will still shape people's lives in the far future.

   Sailors once told stories of far lands across the ocean.

   UsageComparative farther or further; superlative farthest or furthest.

   Similardistant, faraway, remote, far-off

   Oppositenear, close, nearby

   Note

   The King James Bible of 1611 has the men who come to Joshua at Gilgal say they are "come from a farre countrey." Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikisource.org
   • The men addressing Joshua at Gilgal say they have come from a distant country, using the quoted wording in Joshua 9:6. kingjamesbibleonline.org
4. 4
   extreme (side)adjective

   Extreme in position or degree, as measured from a central or neutral point.

   Commentators describe the senator as belonging to the far left of her party.

   Wolves still survive in the far north of the region.

   UsageUsually the far plus a direction: the far left, the far right, the far north.

   Similarextreme, outermost

   Note

   A measure taken from the middle rather than from the speaker: the far right, the far left, the far north. In politics it marks the outer edge of a spectrum, as in "they are on the far right on this issue." It works the same way with degree, as in "withdrawn to such a far degree." The center is usually assumed rather than named. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • The quoted fragment occurs in a recorded example. en.wiktionary.org
   • The center can be explicitly named, as in the parliamentary transcript's “far-left-of-centre groupthink.” committees.parliament.uk
5. 5
   adjective

   Being the more distant of two; on the opposite side or end.

   The keeper dived, but the shot curled inside the far post.

   Their cabin sits on the far bank of the river.

   UsageComes before its noun, usually with the: the far end, the far side. The opposite is near.

   Similaropposite, other

   Oppositenear

   Note

   Here the word picks one of a pair: the far end, the far bank, the far one of two mountains. Unlike the plain "distant" sense, nothing need be very distant. The far post is only a goal's width away. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The near and far goalposts are separated by the width of the goal. theifab.com
6. 6
   very differentadjective

   Of a difference or gap, very great, mainly in set phrases such as a far cry from and a far remove from.

   The finished film was a far cry from the director's original script.

   Life on the base proved a far remove from the recruits' expectations.

   Note

   Here distance has turned into a measure of unlikeness, so the adjective stands before nouns that already name a gap. Zachary Coke's The Art of Logick, in a 1657 printing, speaks of "a far difference," and a Senate hearing still asks in 1951 whether there is "not a far difference." Recent critical prose reaches instead for a far remove from, sometimes as at such a far remove from, a figurative echo of the spatial sense. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • The Art of Logick is attributed to Zachary Coke, and its 1657 printing contains "a far difference". The date explicitly identifies a printing, not first publication. en.wiktionary.org
   • The question appears in Military Situation in the Far East, first published in 1951. Senator Bridges asked it during joint hearings of the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Foreign Relations; 1979 is a reprint date. archive.org
   • The Senate hearing contains the exact words "not a far difference". archive.org

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