southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often capitalized : 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

Black River is dealing with the aftermath of over 15 feet of storm surge from Hurricane Melissa, which devastated the infrastructure of the town in the southwestern part of the island. —Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

At least seven people died before the storm made landfall near New Hope on the southwestern side of Jamaica. —Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

Situated in southwestern Montana, about 45 miles southwest of Bozeman, the community sits at an elevation of over 6,000 feet. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

The hurricane made landfall on the southwestern part of Jamaica and moved north, Holness said. —Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 29 Oct. 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