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

Macron, his wife Brigitte, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan visit the Dujiangyan site, in southwestern China's Sichuan province, on Friday. —Reuters, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025

Located in southwestern Texas, Big Bend National Park is incredibly remote, requiring travelers to drive long distances from any major city. —Carrie Dennis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2025

After formal meetings in Beijing the two leaders will head to the southwestern city of Chengdu — home of China’s giant panda breeding center. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025

Chili's first teased the move on social media in late October, only a few weeks after introducing its new southwestern queso, which replaced the skillet beef and white queso options on the menu. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 3 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