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
• inclosing
• 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

Only data for the contiguous United States is shown. —Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025

The purchase was the last major territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States, according to the National Archives. —Victor Hagan, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024

Still, after more than four decades of route-finding, trail-building, and parcel-buying, only 700 miles of the 1,200-route is contiguous, winding across forests, around fields and farms, or through tiny towns. —Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 24 Dec. 2024

Willingness to travel weekly (up to 80%) is required and living location can be anywhere within the contiguous 48 states and near a major airport. —Terina Allen, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025

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