afastado

Afastado is a Portuguese adjective and the past participle of afastar, meaning moved away or taken away. It has several related senses, including physical distance, removal from a place or duty, and figurative disengagement.

In everyday use, afastado describes someone who is physically distant: for example, a person living far from a city or family. In formal or administrative contexts, it denotes a temporary or permanent removal from a position or duty, such as an employee on leave or a public official suspended from office. The noun afastamento refers to the act of taking someone away from duties, i.e., a leave of absence or removal.

In sports and other organized activities, a participant who cannot compete or participate is described as afastado da equipe or afastado de suas funções. The term can also convey a sense of detachment or aloofness in a figurative sense, such as being emotionally afastado from a situation.

Gramatically, afastado has gender and number forms: afastado (masculine singular), afastada (feminine singular), afastados (masculine plural), afastadas (feminine plural). Related terms include afastar (to move away) and afastamento (the act of removal or leave).

Afastado is widely used in Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese in both everyday and formal contexts.