The Meaning of Remotely: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of remotely? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word remotely, including its definition, usage, word origin, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word remotely mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, as well as other dictionaries like American Heritage and Collins English dictionary, the word remotely is an adverb that means to a remote extent, in a remote location, or from a distance or without direct contact or control. 

Today, many people use the word remotely to refer to telework or remote work. This is when employees are allowed to work in a remote manner, usually from home. Many remote jobs have team members that work in remote positions. These remote workers communicate with colleagues via e-mail, Skype, Zoom, chat, smartphone, and many other forms of telecommuting. Many people are allowed to work remotely full-time, and some companies also have part-time remote positions. Teams and remote team members are usually only required to have a home office or internet connection to be a part of the remote Workforce. Many Americans prefer working remotely rather than coming into an office, and do not care about camaraderie with coworkers. 

Some job seekers are searching for the flexibility and flexible schedule that it can provide so they can make their own schedule and be with their family members, while others simply do not want to go into a traditional office. Some startups and other companies are saving much office space and cost by having a completely remote workforce. Remote-friendly employers do not have to pay for the company’s office, and the company can pay remote freelancers to work from anywhere. This could be a coffee shop, or even different countries with different time zones, so long as they work hours that are okay with the company.  Some of the best talent is found around the globe in folks that work remotely. 

Three different languages also contain words that mean remotely. You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to the word remotely. These are called cognates, which are two words in different languages that look, sound, and me and a similar thing. These are usually formed when two words have the same language of origin or root. This list of translations of remotely is provided by Word Sense

  •  Norwegian: fjern‎
  •  Scottish Gaelic: cian‎, cèin‎, fad às‎
  •  Urdu: دور‎ (dūr)
  •  Dutch: verwijderd‎, afgelegen‎, van op afstand‎, veraf‎
  •  Swedish: avlägsen‎
  •  Russian: далёкий‎, да́льний‎, отдалённый‎, удалённый‎
  •  Hindi: दूर‎ (dūr)
  •  Hungarian: távoli‎
  •  Japanese: 遠い‎ (とおい, tōi), 遠隔‎, 辺鄙‎, 遥か‎
  •  Korean: 원격‎, 먼‎
  •  Belarusian: далёкі‎ (daljóki)
  •  Portuguese: remoto‎, longínquo‎ (masc.), distante‎
  •  Turkish: uzak‎, uzaktan kontrol‎
  •  Persian: دور‎ (dur)
  •  Spanish: remoto‎
  •  Indonesian: jarak jauh, remote
  •  Slovak: ďaleký‎
  •  French: distant‎
  •  Mandarin: 遠‎, 远‎ (yuǎn), 遙遠‎, 遥远‎ (yáoyuǎn)
  •  Polish: daleki‎
  •  German: fern‎, entfernt‎, abgelegen‎, fernbetrieb‎
  •  Bashkir: алыҫ‎, йыраҡ‎
  •  Vietnamese: xa‎
  •  Slovene: oddaljen‎
  •  Italian: remoto‎
  •  Czech: daleký‎, vzdálený‎, nepřístupný‎
  •  Finnish: etäinen‎, kaukainen‎, etä-‎, kauko-‎
  •  Catalan: remot‎
  •  Arabic: بَعِيد‎
  •  Hebrew: מרוחק‎ (merukhaq)
  •  Ukrainian: далекий‎ (dalékyj)

How can the word remotely be used in a sentence?

The word remotely is commonly used in both American English and in the UK. Below are many examples of remotely. 

Susie loved being able to work remotely from her farmhouse. As long as she had her device and a cup of coffee, she was able to do her job with collaboration from afar. 

The company hired a fantastic remote employee via LinkedIn. He did not mind being in a different time zone than the company’s office, and greatly increased productivity when he started in July. 

The company was surprised that so many people wanted to keep working remotely after the pandemic died down. People love the flexibility that working from home brings, and enjoy being able to spend more time with their family and on hobbies that they enjoy. 

She lived remotely in a village on the north coast of the island. She loved her life in the remote village.

What is the origin of the word remotely?

According to Etymonline, the word remotely (adv.) has been used since the mid-15th century. This comes from the Latin remotus meaning far off or distant in place. This is the past participle of removere, meaning to move back or away. This comes from the prefix re and the Latin movere meaning to move, from the Proto-Indo-European roots meue meaning to push away. Related words include remote (adj.) and remoteness (n.), which uses the suffix ness to form a noun like remotely uses ly to form an adverb. The pronunciation of remotely is ​​​rɪˈmoʊtli, and the pronunciation of remote is ​rɪˈmoʊt.

What are synonyms and antonyms for the word remotely?

There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word remotely. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another given word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your English language vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself in written or spoken word. This list of synonyms for the word remotely is provided by Thesaurus

  •  as side effect
  •  incidentally
  •  parenthetically
  •  obiter
  •  accidentally
  •  in passing
  •  fortuitously
  •  in related manner
  •  casually
  •  not by design
  •  by the way
  •  subordinately
  •  as a by-product
  •  unexpectedly
  •  by the bye

There are also a number of different words that mean the opposite of the word remotely. These are called antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word remotely is also provided by Thesaurus.

  •  purposely
  •  intentionally
  •  consciously
  •  deliberately
  •  explicitly
  •  expressly
  •  knowingly
  •  willfully
  •  advisedly
  •  designedly
  •  by design
  •  calculatedly
  •  on purpose
  •  prepensely
  •  purposedly
  •  with intent

Overall, the word remotely

Sources:

  1. remote | Origin and meaning of remote | Online Etymology Dictionary 
  2. REMOTELY Synonyms: 15 Synonyms & Antonyms for REMOTELY | Thesaurus
  3. PURPOSELY Synonyms: 17 Synonyms & Antonyms for PURPOSELY | Thesaurus 
  4. Remotely | Meaning, Origin, Translation | Word Sense