afield
adverb
Simple meaning
Far away from home or one's usual surroundings.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhfeeldSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈfild
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
Far away from home or one's usual surroundings
“Looking afield for new lands to conquer"- R.A.Hall.”
Away (from the home or starting point, physical or conceptual). (Often preceded by far, farther, or further.)
In or into a field (especially a field of battle)
“The armies were afield, challenging the enemy's advance.”
Out in the open.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Far away from home or one's usual surroundings
Used this way, afield is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Looking afield for new lands to conquer"- R.A.Hall.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “afield for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: afield for …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Far / awayadverb
“Looking afield for new lands to conquer"- R.A.Hall.”
Intoadverb
“The armies were afield, challenging the enemy's advance.”
More ways to use afield
- “Looking afield for new lands to conquer"- R.A.Hall.”adverb
- “The armies were afield, challenging the enemy's advance.”adverb
- “Such digressions can lead us too far afield.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.