Far from means a long way from: far from home, far from the sea. The second meaning is not at all: far from perfect, far from easy. Here it's not about distance but about how far something falls short of expectations.
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far from + place; far from + adjective/noun; Far from it!
- We rented a cottage far from the city, with no shops nearby.
- The exam was far from easy, but I managed to finish every task.
What changed
First versionThe hotel was far not perfect, but the staff were very kind.
RevisionThe hotel was far from perfect, but the staff were very kind.
It's tempting to put not straight after far: far not perfect. But English doesn't say that. The idea of “not at all” is expressed with far from: far from perfect.
Far from it is a short reply meaning “not at all, quite the opposite”: Was the film boring? — Far from it! And far away needs no from when it doesn't matter what something is far from: They live far away.
Your turn
The new phone is ___ perfect: the battery dies by lunchtime.
Show the answer
far from — This isn't about distance: the phone is bad, nowhere near perfect, and that's far from perfect. Far not isn't an English pattern, and native speakers don't say it.
Describe a trip or purchase that didn't live up to your expectations. Name it and explain what was wrong.
Our hotel in Rome was far from comfortable: the bed was hard and the street was noisy at night.
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