southwesterly

adverb or adjective

south·​west·​er·​ly sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stər-lē How to pronounce southwesterly (audio)
1
: from the southwest
2
: toward the southwest

Examples of southwesterly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Northeasterly winds in the morning shifted to a southwesterly/upcanyon direction this afternoon with gusts around 20 MPH. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Canva Sans Variable Canva Sans Variable A Flourish map In Utah, southwesterly winds with gusts of up to 35 mph, along with relative humidities as low as 5-14 percent, could create critical fire conditions this week. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025 Southerly and southwesterly winds are also tapping hot and humid air from the South into the Midwest and Northeast this week. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 24 June 2025 Temps will be near to slightly above normal, with highs rising into the mid and upper 80s, except across the Cape and Islands where southwesterly flow will likely keep things a bit cooler. Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for southwesterly

Word History

Etymology

southwest entry 2 + -erly (as in westerly)

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of southwesterly was in 1703

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Southwesterly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southwesterly. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

southwesterly

adverb or adjective
south·​west·​er·​ly sau̇(th)-ˈwes-tər-lē How to pronounce southwesterly (audio)
1
: from the southwest
2
: toward the southwest

More from Merriam-Webster on southwesterly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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