northwestern

adjective

north·​west·​ern nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stərn 

1

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

2

: lying toward or coming from the northwest

northwesternmost

nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst 

adjective

Examples of northwestern in a Sentence

the northwestern corner of the state

Recent Examples on the Web

Flash flood event extremely rare A rare level 4-of-4 for high risk of flooding rainfall was in place for more than 1.5 million people in parts of northwestern Tennessee and western Kentucky, according to the Weather Prediction Center. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 16 Feb. 2025

Hundreds of thousands of people make the annual journey to northwestern Washington to witness this colorful event, but few know about what takes place after dark. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2025

What To Know At the time of writing, winter weather advisories were in effect in Alaska, northwestern Montana, a portion of central Idaho, northwestern Wyoming, and a part of northern New York. —Joe Edwards, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2025

This ZIP code covers a northwestern portion of Oahu, including places like Haleiwa, Pupkea, as well as spots like Waimea Falls. —Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for northwestern

• southwestern
• western

Kids Definition

northwestern

adjective

north·​west·​ern nȯrth-ˈwes-tərn 

1

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

2

: lying toward or coming from the northwest