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

The areas were Forsyth County, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; eight northwestern suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington County, Maryland. — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026

Cultivating collaboration Wounaan, like many Indigenous peoples of lower central and northwestern South America, emphasize tending to relationships. — Chenier Carpio Opua, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026

The deadly violence occurred on Tuesday outside a fast food restaurant in the northwestern city of Culiacan, Sinaloa. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

The community at his Black Pentecostal church, the after-school programs at Family Focus, the adults who placed him in Northwestern tennis camps and a music scholarship that eventually took him to Italy, none of that was institutional. — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 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