Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of contiguous are adjacent, adjoining, and juxtaposed. While all these words mean "being in close proximity," contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side.

offices in all 48 contiguous states

When might adjacent be a better fit than contiguous?

While in some cases nearly identical to contiguous, 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 can adjoining be used instead of contiguous?

While the synonyms adjoining and contiguous are close in meaning, adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.

had adjoining rooms at the hotel

When would juxtaposed be a good substitute for contiguous?

The words juxtaposed and contiguous can be used in similar contexts, but 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 contiguous The spring in 2025 is already off to one of the hottest on record for the contiguous United States, USA TODAY reported. Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 21 May 2025 Nielsen’s recent expansion of its OOH sample from 65% of contiguous U.S. markets to 100% also served to goose the final numbers. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2025 With more than a third of the contiguous U.S. in a drought, there has been a surge in the dangerous airborne flu-like disease in humans. Terry Collins, USA Today, 17 May 2025 The next total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. will occur on Aug. 22, 2044. Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contiguous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contiguous
Adjective
  • The flatland at the southern end is adjacent to the Lón Lagoon, which is separated from the North Atlantic Ocean by a beautiful black sand beach.
    Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • This modern mode of transportation would usher in a golden age of motoring, and John Oosterhuis, an immigrant from the Netherlands, planned to take advantage by building the Dutch Mill Motel in 1951 adjacent to the new highway.
    Paul Eisenberg, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Nieman and Johnson will accommodate vendor booths, food trucks and the adjoining beer festival.
    Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2025
  • Its bombs—dropped in the middle of working hours—severely damaged the adjoining Shahid Moghaddas judicial complex, where prisoners are dragged before malevolent magistrates and fed into the machinery of the Revolutionary Court.
    Siamak Namazi, Time, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Contiguous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contiguous. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on contiguous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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