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

The Ngāi Tahu are the principal Māori tribe of the southern region of New Zealand — home to the South Island giant moa, the largest of the nine moa species Colossal plans to restore over the next five to 10 years. —Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2025

Meanwhile, across southern Europe, there have been coordinated anti-tourism protests in Venice, Barcelona and Lisbon. —Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 8 July 2025

Search and rescue teams found a dog that stayed with their owner who died in an isolated area of southern Arizona. —Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 7 July 2025

So far, the new species has only been found at two sites in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. —Aspen Pflughoeft july 7, Miami Herald, 7 July 2025

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