southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often Southwestern : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated Southwest

southwesternmost

sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst 

adjective

Examples of southwestern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And in the southwestern part of the state, the Choctaw Nation set up three meat processing facilities. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025

This includes much of Tennessee and Kentucky, southwestern West Virginia, far western portions of Virginia and North Carolina, northern Alabama, northeast Mississippi, northwest Georgia, as well as southern portions of Indiana and Ohio. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

Ceballos was re-elected as mayor this week by residents of Coldwater, a community of 687 people in southwestern Kansas. —Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Pluribus is consistently gorgeous to look at, from the tasteful southwestern touches in Carol’s home to the azure desert sky that stretches forever. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025

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

Phrases Containing southwestern

• southwestern corn borer

Rhymes for southwestern

• northwestern
• western

Kids Definition

southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwes-tərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Southwest