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far

(fär)

adv. far·ther (färthər), far·thest (färthĭst) or fur·ther (fûrthər) or fur·thest (fûrthĭst)

1. To, from, or at a considerable distance: a cat that had strayed far from home.

2. To, from, or at a much earlier or later time: a movie that takes place far in the future.

3. To a considerable degree; much: felt far better yesterday; eyes that seemed far too close together.

4. To an advanced point or stage: a brilliant student who will go far.

adj. farther, farthest or further or furthest

a. Being at considerable distance; remote: a far country.

b. Going back a considerable extent in time: the far past.

2. More distant than another: the far corner.

3. Extensive or lengthy: a far trek.

4. Far-seeing and comprehensive in thought or outlook: a commander of far vision.

5. Marked by political views of the most advanced or extreme nature: the far right; the far left.

a. Being on the right side of an animal or a vehicle.

b. Being the animal or vehicle on the right.

Idioms:

by far

To the most extreme or evident degree: She is by far the best executive in the company.

far and away

By a great margin: is far and away the smartest student in the class.

far and wide

Everywhere: looked far and wide for the lost puppy.

far be it from (someone)

Used to deflect responsibility for making a statement that might not be received well: Far be it from me to criticize, but I find your handwriting to be very sloppy.

far cry

1. A long way: stuck at the airport in Memphis, a far cry from Maine.

2. Something that is very different from something else: This food is a far cry from what we got in the cafeteria.

far from

Not at all; anything but: You are far from a failure.

far gone

In an advanced state of a process, especially an undesirable state that is beyond improvement or reversal: "The fire was issuing from a long straw-stack, which was so far gone as to preclude a possibility of saving it" (Thomas Hardy).

far out

Slang Used to express amazement or approval.

how far

To what degree, distance, or extent: didn't know how far to believe them; tried to decide how far she could ski in such cold.

so far

1. Up to the present moment: So far there's been no word from them.

2. To a limited extent: You can go only so far on five dollars.

thus far

Up to this point; so far: Our success has been limited thus far.

[Middle English, from Old English feor; see per¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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