southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated Southwest

southwesternmost

sau̇(th)-ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst 

adjective

Examples of southwestern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Red flag warnings are in effect Thursday for over 3 million people across western Texas, much of New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas and western Oklahoma. —Karina Tsui, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025

Green, a New Orleans native, has spent more than two decades representing the district, which includes the southwestern part of the Greater Houston area. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025

Photo: Corcoran This apartment on the southwestern edge of Prospect Park is full of pretty prewar details: coffered ceilings, parquet floors, and a pass-through kitchen. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 4 Mar. 2025

During January, one of these storms led to the first-ever blizzard warnings for parts of southwestern Louisiana. —Jim Foerster, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sūth-westerne, from sūth south + westerne western

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing southwestern

• southwestern corn borer

Rhymes for southwestern

• northwestern
• western

Kids Definition

southwestern

adjective

south·​west·​ern sau̇(th)-ˈwes-tərn 

1

: lying toward or coming from the southwest

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Southwest