lightyears

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be light years away from (something)

In astronomy, a "light year" is a unit of distance equal to 5.878 trillion miles.

1. To be very far away in time from some point or milestone. Usually said of something that is unlikely to happen in the near future. We're still light years away from a technological advancement like that. If you think we're light years away from medical devices like that, you need to see what this innovative company is doing. My grandparents thought we were light years away from putting a man on the moon, so you can imagine how gobsmacked they were in July 1969!

2. To be vastly different from something else, especially a technological predecessor. My car is light years away from the one my grandfather had in the 1940s. I know my daughter's experience as a teenager in the age of smartphones and social media is light years away from what I dealt with in the '80s. The technology in our new house is light years away from anything either of us had growing up!

light years away

In astronomy, a "light year" is a unit of distance equal to 5.878 trillion miles.

1. Very far away in time. Usually said of something that is unlikely to happen in the near future. A major technological advancement like that is light years away.

2. Vastly different (from something else), especially a technological predecessor. My car is light years away from the one my grandfather had in the 1940s.

light years away from (something)

In astronomy, a "light year" is a unit of distance equal to 5.878 trillion miles.

1. Very far away in time from some point or milestone. Usually said of something that is unlikely to happen in the near future. We're still light years away from a technological advancement like that.

2. Vastly different from something, typically a technological predecessor. My car is light years away from the one my grandfather had in the 1940s.