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

However, dangerous travel conditions are anticipated for the Sierra and southern Cascades mountains and foothills through Saturday with moderate to heavy snow fall, per the National Weather Service. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado updated February 20, Sacbee.com, 21 Feb. 2026

Which student loan borrowers are struggling Student loan delinquency rates are especially high in several Southern states, according to the Century Foundation's analysis. —Annie Nova, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026

The minister also said work was already underway with other southern African countries to manufacture drugs locally and pool resources across borders. —Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Now that citizens can stare dumbfounded into the same distracting bright lights (and gambling gateways) via ever-present screens, the whole of the United States has essentially transformed into the hellscape once confined to Nevada’s southern tip. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 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