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 United States, of course, has added a new dimension to its assault, piling on sanctions to accompany its blockade of Iran’s southern coast and periodic bombings. — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026

Distribution and host plants The apple maggot is native to North America and is most widespread in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada; its range extends westward across parts of the northern United States and southern Canada. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Other major Chinese ports have felt the swell of containers, with Dimerco noting that ocean carriers have cut allocations and skipped calls at Qingdao to clear typhoon backlogs at southern ports. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Israel also occupies large parts of southern Syria and Israeli officials have said the military plans to stay there indefinitely. — Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 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