southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn How to pronounce southwestern (audio)
1
: lying toward or coming from the southwest
2
often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated Southwest
southwesternmost adjective

Examples of southwestern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Stretched across over 2,000 rolling acres in southwestern Pennsylvania, the iconic four-season resort privately owned by The Hardy family and made famous by The Bachelor, unveiled one of its three hotels, The Grand Lodge, in spectacular style last weekend. Katie Chang, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Paradise Valley surrounds a stretch of the Yellowstone River in southwestern Montana, just north of the national park. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2023 Margaret Osborne | | READ MORE Margaret Osborne is a freelance journalist based in the southwestern U.S. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023 For instance, one of the dots on the map is a private residence in Akure, a mid-sized city in southwestern Nigeria. Jesse Gilbert, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2023 House District 24 covers southwestern Washington County, but mainly consists of much of Crawford County. Doug Thompson, arkansasonline.com, 15 Nov. 2023 Tens of thousands of small earthquakes have rocked southwestern Iceland since late October, with thousands occurring in just the last few days. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023 The couple was killed Tuesday alongside their local safari guide at the Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwestern Uganda, police said, adding that the victims’ vehicle was also set ablaze by their killers. Nimi Princewill, CNN, 19 Oct. 2023 The best chance for clear skies during the eclipse is predicted to be in the southwestern part of the path, near Texas and Mexico. Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'southwestern.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sūth-westerne, from sūth south + westerne western

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of southwestern was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near southwestern

Cite this Entry

“Southwestern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southwestern. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

southwestern

adjective
south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwes-tərn How to pronounce southwestern (audio)
1
: lying toward or coming from the southwest
2
often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Southwest

More from Merriam-Webster on southwestern

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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