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

The majority of about 50,000 American troops in Japan under the bilateral security pact are on the small but strategically important southern island. — Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026

Luxor, Egypt Luxor, in southern Egypt, will enjoy the longest duration of totality during the solar eclipse that will blot out the sun in parts of Europe, the Middle East and Africa on August 2. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Of more immediate interest to McCarthy were arguments about what his favorite Southern writers—Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor—were up to. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

The south shined in this ranking with several southern towns ranking in the top five including Austin, Texas, which topped the list. — Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 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