Definition of adjacentnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word adjacent different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of adjacent are adjoining, contiguous, and juxtaposed. While all these words mean "being in close proximity," adjacent may or may not imply contact but always implies absence of anything of the same kind in between.

a house with an adjacent garage

When could adjoining be used to replace adjacent?

While in some cases nearly identical to adjacent, adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.

had adjoining rooms at the hotel

When would contiguous be a good substitute for adjacent?

While the synonyms contiguous and adjacent are close in meaning, contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side.

offices in all 48 contiguous states

When can juxtaposed be used instead of adjacent?

Although the words juxtaposed and adjacent have much in common, juxtaposed means placed side by side especially so as to permit comparison and contrast.

a skyscraper juxtaposed to a church

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adjacent The museum’s Boston campus includes the African Meeting House, widely recognized as the oldest surviving Black church building in the United States, as well as the adjacent Abiel Smith School, which was built in 1835 for Black students. Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026 Two adjacent mini-pitches with professional-grade artificial turf, a financial education learning center, and other space for community events, comprise Southie’s Visa Street Soccer USA Park – a hub of energy within the West Broadway Boston Housing Authority development. Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026 Media and members of the public were allowed inside an adjacent courtroom to watch the proceedings on a live video feed. Cbs Texas Staff, CBS News, 4 June 2026 Those tours typically play venues larger than the Greek, Irvine’s Great Park Live or Costa Mesa’s fairgrounds-adjacent Pacific Amphitheatre, but smaller than the Hollywood Bowl. Clay Marshall, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for adjacent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjacent
Adjective
  • Garden at the Line has more than 60 beers and other beverages on tap, and its adjoining commercial kitchen has food from 10 restaurants, including Sacramento favorites like Kru and Binchoyaki, available for purchase.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
  • And those three constitutional amendments with the adjoining Reconstruction Acts and Civil Rights Acts—there’ll be more of those.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • Supporters of the initiative dislike an influx of expatriates from the neighboring European Union, and say Swiss infrastructure, housing, social programs, natural resources and way of life have been strained under demographic growth.
    Jamey Keaten, Fortune, 10 June 2026
  • In neighboring Maine, Graham Platner was contending with a drumbeat of reports about his history with women that has left some Democrats worried that the party’s path to a Senate majority is suddenly imperiled.
    Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Adjacent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjacent. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on adjacent

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster