northwesterly

adverb or adjective

north·​west·​er·​ly nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stər-lē 

1

: from the northwest

2

: toward the northwest

Examples of northwesterly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This will be the time frame for the bulk of the snow which is likely going to accumulate in the preferred north northwesterly flow regions of NE OH/NW PA, and confined further east late Monday night into Tuesday when flow turns westerly. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025

Then Van Kirk put the three planes on a 345-degree northwesterly heading for Hiroshima. —David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2025

Residents can expect winds to be westerly becoming northwesterly 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 to 35 mph and humidity as low as 20 percent. —Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2025

Winds begin in the westerly direction in the morning and are expected to shift to northwesterly and then north by the afternoon, Cronce said. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for northwesterly

• southwesterly

Kids Definition

northwesterly

adverb or adjective

north·​west·​er·​ly nȯrth-ˈwes-tər-lē 

1

: from the northwest

2

: toward the northwest