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

Its House delegation is 7-2, with Democrats holding one seat that encompasses Indianapolis and another in the southwestern corner of the state. —Caroline Linton, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

The company plans to lease a space in southwestern Jefferson County near Randy Coe Lane. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Dec. 2025

Finally, across southwestern and southern Minnesota, a wintry mix may produce around an inch of snow, but very gusty winds approaching 55 MPH at times overnight could lead to ground blizzard conditions. —Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 9 Dec. 2025

The saucy, swicy potatoes remind me of sticky Korean potatoes (aka Gamja Jorim)—a sweet-and-sour potato recipe that appears on many banchan spreads at Korean barbecue restaurants—just with a little southwestern flair. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 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