northwestern

adjective

north·​west·​ern nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stərn 

1

often Northwestern : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated Northwest

2

: lying toward or coming from the northwest

northwesternmost

nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst 

adjective

Examples of northwestern in a Sentence

the northwestern corner of the state

Recent Examples on the Web

Set in the mountains of Ashe County, West Jefferson lies within the North Carolina High Country, a seven-county region in the state’s northwestern corner. — Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2026

Following the coach’s firing in July 2023, more than 260 Northwestern faculty members signed a petition calling for the stadium plans to be halted until at least athletic department’s problems could be sorted out. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Iowa State University engineering professor Wenjie Xia was a Northwestern graduate student who took Daniel’s experimental mechanics course in 2011. — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

The Royal Air Force (RAF) said the incident involving a Hawk T2 aircraft happened near Anglesey on Wednesday after the pilots departed the RAF Valley base in the northwestern part of the country. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for northwestern

• southwestern
• western

Kids Definition

northwestern

adjective

north·​west·​ern nȯrth-ˈwes-tərn 

1

often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Northwest

2

: lying toward or coming from the northwest