1
Southern : 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 Southernness

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
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Adjective
Ruben Dominguez, a seventh-generation resident of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, describes the region almost as a place outside of time. Anna Alejo, CBS News, 31 July 2026 The wildfires sweeping through southern Europe, which have forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes or vacations, are not a surprise and will only become more likely in the future, two new pieces of research suggest. Evan Bush, NBC news, 30 July 2026 Many had come for the gold rush, largely from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026 The town of Brignoles in the Var department in southern France has a population of between 600 and 700 villagers that were also forced to evacuate the region as wildfires fueled by a heat wave and strong winds continues to impact southern Europe. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 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 Words

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Cite this Entry

“Southern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southern. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

southern

adjective
1
capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the South
2
: lying toward or coming from the south

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