Meanings
plural actions at a distance
- countableuncountablenatural sciencesThe concept that an object can be affected, changed, moved, or otherwise affected without being physically touched by another object.
For Descartes, as for Aristoteles, the doctrine of the Plenum rested on two self-evident truths: Nature abhors a vacuum, and there can be no action at a distance .
1984, David Layzer, Constructing the Universe, page 7Synonyms: actio ad distans
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe concept that an object can be affected, changed, moved, or otherwise affected without being physically touched by another object.
Translations
Catalan acció a distància
- acció a distànciaTranslations
Chinese Mandarin 超距作用
- 超距作用 (chāojù zuòyòng)Translations
Esperanto agado ĉe distanco
- agado ĉe distancoTranslations
French action à distance
- action à distanceTranslations
German Fernwirkung
- FernwirkungTranslations
Italian azione a distanza
- azione a distanzaTranslations
Latin āctiō in distāns
- āctiō in distānsTranslations
Norwegian Bokmål fjernkraft
- fjernkraftTranslations
Portuguese ação à distância
- ação à distânciaTranslations
Spanish acción a distancia
- acción a distanciaTranslations
Turkish uzaktan etki
- uzaktan etkiTranslations
Cite this entry
action at a distance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20at%20a%20distance
“action at a distance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20at%20a%20distance. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “action at a distance,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20at%20a%20distance.
Source: action at a distance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.