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

The sheriff’s office and the Coast Guard responded about 3 p.m. Saturday to reports that 10 people were in the water next to a capsized boat near California’s D.L. Bliss State Park, at the southwestern end of the lake. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025

Meteorologists attributed the outbreak to a persistent heat dome over the southwestern U.S., which created conditions for destructive thunderstorms across the Northern Plains, Midwest, Northeast, and beyond. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025

Kansas has a total of 79 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. —Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025

Triple digits are expected in parts of Kansas, Nebraska and southwestern Minnesota. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 21 June 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