westerly

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

west·​er·​ly ˈwe-stər-lē 

1

: situated toward or belonging to the west

the westerly end of the farm

2

: coming from the west

a westerly breeze

westerly

2 of 2

noun

plural westerlies

: a wind from the west

Examples of westerly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective or adverb

Noon temperatures will already be in the 70s with mostly cloudy skies and light westerly winds around 10 mph this afternoon. — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 26 June 2026

That Delta breeze hits a new level between Thursday and Friday; the arrival of the Pacific Northwest trough will force westerly winds into the Sacramento area that will further push temps down into the 80s through the weekend. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2026

Noun

Wendling, the most north-westerly site of all and barely in the valley, turns the same cool end darker, toward plum, blackberry and savoury earth. — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

First, through a combination of weaker trade winds and westerlies over the tropical Atlantic, La Niña tends to create a more placid atmosphere. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective or adverb

obsolete wester western

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for westerly

• northwesterly
• southwesterly

Kids Definition

westerly

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

west·​er·​ly ˈwes-tər-lē 

1

: toward the west

the ship sailed westerly

a westerly direction

2

: from the west

the wind blew westerly

a westerly breeze

westerly

2 of 2 noun

plural westerlies

: a wind blowing from the west

Geographical Definition

Westerly

geographical name

Wes·​ter·​ly ˈwe-stər-lē 

town in southwestern Rhode Island on the border with Connecticut population 17,936