distantly

dis|tant|ly [ `dıstəntli ] adverb

1. ) MAINLY LITERARY far away:

I heard dogs barking distantly in the hills.

2. ) without any real feeling, usually because you are thinking about something else:

At this Ivan only smiled distantly.

3. ) not in detail or exactly:

Helen thought she could distantly recall having seen him somewhere before.

be distantly related to someone

if two people are distantly related to each other, they are relatives, but not close relatives