southern

1 of 2

adjective

south·​ern ˈsə-t͟hərn 

1

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

2

a

: lying toward the south

b

: coming from the south

a southern wind

southernness

ˈsə-t͟hərn-nəs 

noun often capitalized

Southern

2 of 2

noun

: the dialect of English spoken in most of the Chesapeake Bay area, the coastal plain and the greater part of the upland plateau in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Gulf states at least as far west as the valley of the Brazos in Texas and sometimes taken to include the south Midland area

Examples of southern in a Sentence

Adjective

the southern part of the state

the southern shore of the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Parson’s decision to send Missouri troops to help Texas was noteworthy as roughly 250 Missouri National Guard members were already deployed to the southern border to work with President Joe Biden administration’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2024

For a portion of the event that reporters were allowed to attend, Harris made no mention of Trump’s criminal conviction or President Biden’s executive order to restrict asylum seekers from crossing the southern border. —Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024

The project site is near the southern edges of downtown San Jose and is near the urban core’s lively SoFA district. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 5 June 2024

One of those animals at risk of disappearing is the flightless southern cassowary bird. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English southern, southren, from Old English sūtherne; akin to Old High German sundrōni southern, Old English sūth south

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing southern

• southern corn rootworm
• southern fur seal
• southern hemisphere
• southern lights
• southern maidenhair fern
• southern minke whale

Kids Definition

southern

adjective

south·​ern ˈsət͟h-ərn 

1

capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the South

2

: lying toward or coming from the south

southernmost

-ˌmōst 

adjective