west-northwest

noun

west-north·​west
: a compass point that is two points north of due west : N67°30′W

Examples of west-northwest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Little Rock, a tornado rated EF3 by the National Weather Service, with winds reaching 165 miles per hour, touched down about two miles west-northwest of the intersection of Interstate 430 and Interstate 630 about 2:22 p.m. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2023 Through tonight: Clear and slowly calming, with west-northwest breezes down toward 5 mph near dawn. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023 As of Saturday evening, Lee was moving west-northwest ‒ roughly in the direction of the United States ‒ at 10 mph as a Category 3 hurricane. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023 Breezes could be around 15 mph at times, out of the west-northwest. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 The hurricane center said Norma, once a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 80 mph near el Pozo de Cota, west-northwest of Cabo San Lucas. CBS News, 21 Oct. 2023 The storm has managed to move (erratically) farther west-northwest toward the islands. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2023 The storm was traveling west-northwest at around 2 mph, and was expected to move gradually westward or southwestward without much fluctuation in strength throughout the rest of the week. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2023 It’s expected to head to the west-northwest over the open Atlantic over the next few days and is no immediate threat to land. Leigh Morgan, al, 13 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'west-northwest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of west-northwest was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near west-northwest

Cite this Entry

“West-northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/west-northwest. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

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