southern

1 of 2

adjective

south·​ern ˈsə-t͟hərn 

1

Southern : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated South

2

a

: lying toward the south

b

: coming from the south

a southern wind

southernness

ˈsə-t͟hərn-nəs 

noun

often Southernness

Southern

2 of 2

noun

: the dialect of English spoken in most of the Chesapeake Bay area, the coastal plain and the greater part of the upland plateau in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Gulf states at least as far west as the valley of the Brazos in Texas and sometimes taken to include the south Midland area

Examples of southern in a Sentence

Adjective

the southern part of the state

the southern shore of the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The exact place where South ends and North begins was carefully pointed out to me by a group of Southern men tidying the ditches for the local council. —Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026

On two separate occasions, Debbie Dmytro saw things in the sky over Michigan’s southern Oakland County. —ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026

In the weeks since, fears of a long-term occupation of southern Lebanon have grown, with Israel moving to establish a buffer zone in the area, leveling homes and destroying bridges over the Litani River, which connects the south to the rest of Lebanon, while taking control of what crossings remain. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026

Its southern counterpart, meanwhile, will be a little taller at 889 ft (270 m), with mixed-use residential space and another rooftop terrace. —Adam Williams april 03, New Atlas, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English southern, southren, from Old English sūtherne; akin to Old High German sundrōni southern, Old English sūth south

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing southern

• southern corn rootworm
• southern fur seal
• southern hemisphere
• southern lights
• southern maidenhair fern
• southern minke whale

Kids Definition

southern

adjective

south·​ern ˈsət͟h-ərn 

1

capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the South

2

: lying toward or coming from the south

southernmost

-ˌmōst 

adjective