The antonyms for the phrase "were adjacent to" include words like separate, distant, remote, isolated, detached, unconnected, and disassociated. These words convey an idea of distance or separation between two things, unlike the phrase "were adjacent to," which connotes proximity and closeness. Antonyms like remote and detached indicate an even greater degree of distance than simply being separate, while disassociated implies a lack of connection altogether. Using these antonyms in place of "were adjacent to" can alter the tone and meaning of a sentence significantly, emphasizing the space or disconnect between two objects rather than their proximity.