southern

1 of 2

adjective

south·​ern ˈsə-t͟hərn How to pronounce southern (audio)
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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The Bibas family invited the public to gather along the funeral route to pay their respects to the two children and their mother ahead of a private ceremony near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025 Areas from the mining-intensive north to the central and southern regions that are home to most of the population, including the capital Santiago, were affected, according to the government. Fabian Cambero and Alexander Villegas, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025 Kaminer, an anthropologist, lived on a moshav, or cooperative agricultural settlement, in southern Israel that employs Thai agricultural workers. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 The program funded the construction of over 5,300 schools and buildings throughout 15 predominately southern states to provide education to Black youths during segregation. Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for southern

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of southern was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Entries

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Southern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southern. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

southern

adjective
south·​ern ˈsət͟h-ərn How to pronounce southern (audio)
1
capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the South
2
: lying toward or coming from the south
southernmost adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on southern

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