Meaning & use
distancer
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who habitually creates emotional or physical space between themselves and others in close relationships.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a distancer' for one person and 'distancers' for more than one.
Patterns
- a distancer in a relationship
- the distancer in a couple
In couples therapy, the distancer often pulls away when talks become intense.
He was the distancer in every relationship, ending things before they got too close.
The distancer may not realize that their need for space hurts their partner.
nouncountablesport
A person or thing that keeps a certain distance from others, especially in a race or competition.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'the' to refer to a specific competitor who stays behind or ahead.
Patterns
- the distancer in the race
- act as a distancer
The distancer stayed a few meters behind the leader, waiting for the right moment.
As a distancer, she preferred to let others set the pace.
Word forms
| plural | distancers |
|---|
Common combinations
- emotional distancer
- An emotional distancer often avoids deep conversations.
- classic distancer
- He is a classic distancer: he calls less when things get serious.
- the distancer in a relationship
- The distancer in a relationship may feel smothered by too much closeness.
- pursuer and distancer
- The pursuer and distancer pattern can be hard to break.
Synonyms and how they differ
- avoider
- Avoider is broader and can refer to avoiding any task or situation, while distancer specifically refers to creating emotional space in relationships.
- withdrawer
- Withdrawer suggests pulling back in a specific moment, whereas distancer suggests a more lasting style.
Opposites
Word family
- distance noun
- The space between two things or people.
- distant adjective
- Far away, or emotionally cold and unfriendly.
- distancing noun
- The act of creating space, often emotional.
Commonly confused: distancer or distant?
distancer vs distant
Distant is an adjective meaning far away or emotionally cold; distancer is a noun for a person who creates distance.
Practice
In relationship psychology, what does 'distancer' usually mean?
Choose one answer.
The main sense in psychology is a person who habitually creates emotional space. 'A device that measures distance' would be a distance meter, and 'a person who is always very close' is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distancer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.