western

1 of 2

adjective

west·​ern ˈwe-stərn 

1

a

: coming from the west

a western storm

b

: situated or lying toward the west

islands in the western half of the archipelago

2

or Western : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated West: such as

a

: steeped in or stemming from the Greco-Roman traditions

Western culture

b

: of or relating to the noncommunist countries of Europe and America

Western powers

c

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the American West

Western clothes

western music

3

Western : of or relating to the Roman Catholic or Protestant segment of Christianity

Western liturgies

western

2 of 2

noun

1

: one that is produced in or characteristic of a western region and especially the western U.S.

2

often Western : a work of literature or film (such as a novel, story, movie, or broadcast) dealing with life in the western U.S. especially during the latter half of the 19th century

Examples of western in a Sentence

Adjective

the western part of the state

Old western movies are my favorites.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The cold front will bring snow to western North Carolina, with peaks along the NC-Tennessee state line expecting to see around an inch, forecasters say. —Mark Price january 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2026

The pack, which at one point numbered three adults and six pups, killed more livestock than did the entire wolf population of other western states. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026

Noun

Van Sant alludes to the latter when the televisions keep showing John Wayne on other channels, the gunslinging Duke setting things right in a classic western or winning the 1977 People’s Choice statuette for best actor. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

Longtime anime watchers know all about Trigun, the sci-fi western that tore through Toonami in the ’00s and followed the wake of Vash the Stampede, a gunslinger and bleeding heart who faces off against his twin brother, Millions Knives. —Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English westerne, from Old English; akin to Old High German westrōni western, Old English west

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Noun

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing western

• country and western
• spaghetti western
• western equine encephalitis
• western equine encephalomyelitis
• western hemisphere
• western omelet
• western rat snake
• western red cedar
• western saddle
• western sandwich
• western swing

Rhymes for western

• northwestern
• southwestern

Kids Definition

western

1 of 2 adjective

west·​ern ˈwes-tərn 

1

capitalized : of, relating to, or resembling that of the West

2

: lying toward or coming from the west

a western storm

western

2 of 2 noun

: a story, film, or radio or television show about life in the western U.S. in the last part of the 19th century