Synonyms of contiguous

contiguous

adjective

kən-ˈti-gyə-wəs 

as in adjacent

having a border in common

Connecticut and Massachusetts are contiguous states

Synonyms & Similar Words

• adjacent
• neighboring
• adjoining
• closest
• bordering
• abutting
• conterminous
• united
• joining
• flanking
• juxtaposed
• attached
• touching
• close
• nearest
• fringing
• connected
• linked
• nearby
• flush
• connecting
• surrounding
• near
• verging
• skirting
• approximate
• next-door
• communicating
• joined
• encircling
• peripheral
• immediate
• marginal
• fencing
• bounding
• enclosing
• nigh
• embracing
• tangential
• interconnecting
• encompassing
• circumjacent
• ambient
• tangent
• rimming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• noncontiguous
• discrete
• separate
• single
• nonadjacent
• apart
• isolated
• unconnected
• detached
• distant
• free-standing
• unattached
• isolate
• unlinked
• disconnected
• removed
• farthest
• remote
• far
• discontinuous
• away
• divided
• noncontinuous
• resolved
• split
• severed
• far-off
• broken up
• dissociated
• faraway
• divorced
• disunited
• parted
• uncoupled
• ramified
• disjoined
• sundered
• dissevered
• unyoked

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

Recent Examples of contiguous

In between hikes, take some time to check out what the rest of the peninsula has to offer, like the chance to stand on the Northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States at Cape Flattery. — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026

This would create partition on the patriots’ terms, not Britain’s, as 13 contiguous colonies seceded from the rump of the British Empire in North America. — David Armitage, Washington Post, 26 June 2026

The park is almost completely surrounded by Bureau of Land Management property, and the public land is all that separates the park from the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness — the largest wilderness area in the contiguous United States. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 26 June 2026

Both the cellular and Wi-Fi industries consider this contiguous block, which covers frequencies from 5,925 to 7,125 megahertz, critical. — Stephen Cousins, IEEE Spectrum, 25 June 2026

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