A far cry from means very different from something else. The room was a far cry from the photos: it looked nothing like them. It often sounds disappointed, but it can be praise too: the final poster is a far cry from my first sketch. Cry has nothing to do with tears or shouting here: the whole phrase means a long way from.
When would you say a far cry from?
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be a far cry from + noun / -ing / what-clause
- This quiet village is a far cry from the crowded city where I grew up.
- The finished poster is a far cry from my first sketch.
- The room was a far cry from what the photos had promised.
What changed
First versionThe final result was a far cry than our original plan.
RevisionThe final result was a far cry from our original plan.
It's a comparison, so than seems natural, as in better than. But a far cry works like a long way from and always takes from: a far cry from our original plan. Than was replaced with from.
Different from is the neutral way to say two things aren't the same. A far cry from is much stronger: worlds apart. Far from is something else, meaning not at all: The work is far from finished means it's nowhere near finished.
Your turn
Complete the comparison: Working here is a far cry ___ working in my previous office.
Show the answer
from — The fixed phrase is a far cry from. Than appears in ordinary comparisons like better than, but not here.
Compare your home, job or city now with what it was like before or what you expected.
The bright new classroom is a far cry from the windowless room we used last year.
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