Definition of adjoiningnext

adjoining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of adjoin
1
2

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of adjoining are adjacent, contiguous, and juxtaposed. While all these words mean "being in close proximity," adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.

had adjoining rooms at the hotel

Where would adjacent be a reasonable alternative to adjoining?

While in some cases nearly identical to adjoining, 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 is contiguous a more appropriate choice than adjoining?

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

offices in all 48 contiguous states

When might juxtaposed be a better fit than adjoining?

In some situations, the words juxtaposed and adjoining are roughly equivalent. However, 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 adjoining
Adjective
Two adjoining spaces on the ground floor served as a newsroom filled with desks. Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 These federal spaceports include Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, which sit on adjoining property in Florida. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
Safa Muhammad lives in the townhomes adjoining the lot, and attended the open house with some neighbors. Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Several suites are in the mix, including a Palace Roof Suite with swoon-worthy scenery from its waterfront terrace and a Bosphorus Palace Suite that can connect to adjoining rooms to create a three-bedroom royal residence. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for adjoining
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjoining
Adjective
  • Sitting at a conference room table adjacent to the Packers’ locker room, Kraft unfurls his left arm to explain each of his tattoos.
    Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Lounging and relaxing poolside is taken very seriously with an ample supply of chaise lounges and umbrellas lining all four pools (three family pools and one adults-only pool), and an adjacent private beach and lagoon.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a weekly briefing.
    JEAN-YVES KAMALE, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Upon its inception, the neighboring Théâtre des Champs-Élysées brought composers, theatergoers, and fashion trailblazers to regularly dine at the property.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Those years became an incubator of offensive ideas, pulling leaves from different branches of the scheme and adding plays and ideas to the binder that would soon blossom in Philadelphia.
    Zach Berman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • That is a different proposition from adding another dashboard or automating another report.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Two identical theaters flanking the lobby are galleries in their own right.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The lush valleys flanking the Teahupo’o coastline are full of drama, with towering, jagged peaks and vertiginous ridges—many far off the grid and only accessible via boat.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Murray tries to be the next successful project in purple, joining the Vikes after seven up-and-down years with the Arizona Cardinals.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Perhaps joining social media will allow Lawrence to get some of that control back.
    Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • There’ll still be conversations surrounding the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and most of us anticipate a lot of shocked reactions from those learning when our birthdays and wedding anniversaries take place.
    Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Those statues peering down from surrounding buildings seem to nod their approval.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Spanning automotive, steel, and agriculture, as well as government procurement, market access, and the future architecture of North American trade rules, the confrontation is now touching the deepest foundations of their economic relationship.
    , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The trade-off is that every option involves adhesive touching a surface.
    Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Stratos Project is set to take over 20,000 acres of desert brush and farmland in Box Elder County, abutting the Great Salt Lake.
    Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Ahmad grew up in Kashmir, a region in India’s northwest abutting the Himalayas, replete with vast valleys, glassy mountain lakes, and purple iris and cyan forget-me-nots.
    Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Adjoining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjoining. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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