vicinity
noun
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Howdy, neighbor! Today we cozy up to vicinity, a word with neighborly origins that was welcomed into English as a French import in the 16th century from Middle French vicinité. It comes ultimately from Latin vicus, meaning "row of houses" or "village," by way of Latin vicinus, meaning "neighboring." Other descendants of vicinus in English include vicinal (a synonym of local) and vicinage, a synonym of vicinity in the sense of "a neighboring or surrounding district." Both of these are formal and rare, but vicinage is notable for giving title to the Vicinage Clause, a segment of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution that entitles an accused person to "an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law."
Examples of vicinity in a Sentence
Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026
The New York Times reported, citing two officials, that no Russian vessels were in the vicinity when it was seized, however.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
The Canucks rank 31st in the NHL in point percentage, and given the true talent level of this roster, are likely to remain in that vicinity through 82 games.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Trump, at the Mar-a-Lago press conference on Saturday, blamed past presidents for fighting far-off wars while allowing leftist regimes in America’s vicinity to fester.
—Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vicinity
Cite this Entry
“Vicinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicinity. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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vicinity
noun
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