southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated Southwest

southwesternmost

sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst 

adjective

Examples of southwestern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Millions were under flood watches throughout Oklahoma and parts of the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Missouri; as well as parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 June 2025

The 1st District consists of the Arkansas Delta, while the 4th District includes counties in southwestern Arkansas. —Alex Thomas, Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025

In 2016, police investigators confirmed that a 300-meter-high (nearly 1,000 feet) telecommunications mast in southwestern Sweden was intentionally felled, leaving around 85,000 households without TV broadcasts and affecting emergency announcements. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

Zion, located in southwestern Utah, came in at No. 9 with 93 trails, 4.9 million visitors and a trail rating of 4.4. —John Meyer, Denver Post, 5 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sūth-westerne, from sūth south + westerne western

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing southwestern

• southwestern corn borer

Rhymes for southwestern

• northwestern
• western

Kids Definition

southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwes-tərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Southwest