western

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adjective west·ern \ ˈwe-stərn \

Definition of western

1 a :coming from the west

a western storm

b :situated or lying toward the west

islands in the western half of the archipelago

2 or Western :of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated West: such as

a :steeped in or stemming from the Greco-Roman traditions

Western culture

b :of or relating to the noncommunist countries of Europe and America

Western powers

c :of, relating to, or characteristic of the American West

Western clothes

western music

3 Western :of or relating to the Roman Catholic or Protestant segment of Christianity

Western liturgies

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westernmost

play \ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst\ adjective

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Examples of western in a Sentence

the western part of the state
Old western movies are my favorites.

Recent Examples of western from the Web

Not far away, the old police headquarters at the western entrance to the city where Valley Parkway and Grand Avenue intersect is history.

— j. harry jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Wagon Wheel being replaced with shopping center in Escondido," 29 Aug. 2017
Western brand, Chinese characteristics: Club Med at Guilin »

— phil marty, chicagotribune.com, "Midwest and more: Highland Games in Iowa, a Taliesin dinner and a massive apple pie," 28 Aug. 2017
Erdogan has tapped into the sentiments, ramping up his anti-Western rhetoric, much to the liking of his supporters.

— diego cupolo, The Atlantic, "Striking an Impossible Balance in Turkey," 23 Aug. 2017
Will Fall Feb. 27: Brazilian Western Feb. 28: Be Here Now Michael Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes — NETFLIX ORIGINAL Feb. 1: A.C.O.D.

— peggy truong, Cosmopolitan, "Here’s What’s Coming to/Leaving Netflix in September 2017," 23 Aug. 2017
Former Western Kentucky signee Mitchell Robinson, who recently visited Kansas, New Orleans and LSU, is not expected to play college basketball this season, Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde wrote Tuesday night.

— gary bedore, kansascity, "Mitchell Robinson not expected to play college hoops at all this season," 22 Aug. 2017
The moon will begin to slide in front of the sun at 9:04 a.m. PDT on the Western-most coast of Oregon.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "How to Properly Lose Your Shit Over the Solar Eclipse," 18 Aug. 2017
Only after his death did Western leaders publicly mention Liu Xiaobo’s name and pay tribute to him.

— jianli yang, National Review, "Liu Xiaobo’s Stern Warning," 15 Aug. 2017
The U.S. and its allies warned Kim against such a move, and Japan deployed four Patriot missile interceptors into the western part of the country.

— shinhye kang, Bloomberg.com, "Top U.S. General Reassures South Korea in a Visit to Seoul," 14 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'western.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of western

Middle English westerne, from Old English; akin to Old High German westrōni western, Old English west

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

western

noun

Definition of western

1 :one that is produced in or characteristic of a western region and especially the western U.S.

2 often capitalized :a novel, story, motion picture, or broadcast dealing with life in the western U.S. especially during the latter half of the 19th century

See western defined for English-language learners