CONTIGUOUS Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'contiguous' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of contiguous are adjacent , adjoining , and juxtaposed . While all these words mean "being in close proximity," contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side. // offices in all 48 contiguous states

Q: When might 'adjacent' be a better fit than 'contiguous'?

While in some cases nearly identical to contiguous , adjacent may or may not imply contact but always implies absence of anything of the same kind in between. // a house with an adjacent garage

Q: When can 'adjoining' be used instead of 'contiguous'?

While the synonyms adjoining and contiguous are close in meaning, adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line. // had adjoining rooms at the hotel

Q: When would 'juxtaposed' be a good substitute for 'contiguous'?

The words juxtaposed and contiguous can be used in similar contexts, but juxtaposed means placed side by side especially so as to permit comparison and contrast. // a skyscraper juxtaposed to a church

contiguous

adjective

kən-ˈti-gyə-wəs

Definition of contiguous next

as in adjacent

having a border in common Connecticut and Massachusetts are contiguous states

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word contiguous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of contiguous are adjacent, adjoining, and juxtaposed. While all these words mean "being in close proximity," contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side.

offices in all 48 contiguous states

When might adjacent be a better fit than contiguous?

While in some cases nearly identical to contiguous, adjacent may or may not imply contact but always implies absence of anything of the same kind in between.

a house with an adjacent garage

When can adjoining be used instead of contiguous?

While the synonyms adjoining and contiguous are close in meaning, adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.

had adjoining rooms at the hotel

When would juxtaposed be a good substitute for contiguous?

The words juxtaposed and contiguous can be used in similar contexts, but juxtaposed means placed side by side especially so as to permit comparison and contrast.

a skyscraper juxtaposed to a church

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of contiguous The occultation will be visible across the contiguous 48 states, much of Canada and parts of northern South America. —

Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026 For history buffs who couldn't make the trip east, there was the American Freedom Train, a 26-car behemoth that toured all 48 contiguous states. —

ABC News, 13 June 2026 Not exactly anthology but hardly contiguous narrative, Koosha’s film works best as a kind of dispatch from a troubled moment, giving us human snippets to understand what can be an abstract violence. —

Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026 Florian Ederer, a professor of economics at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, noticed the seat maps contained large, contiguous blocks of seats that had suddenly appeared on the secondary market. —

Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for contiguous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contiguous

Adjective

In 1918, a neighboring property sale recorded inaccurate boundaries that improperly absorbed the cemetery into an adjacent parcel — the first of decades of land transfers that gradually left the burial ground isolated and inaccessible.

— Kamal Morgan. Produced with AI assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026
Netflix has also moved aggressively into entertainment-adjacent sectors, such as videogames and live experiences.

— David Bloom, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of adjacent

Adjective

The suspect got away via steps to a small street to the neighboring French town of Beausoleil, according to surveillance footage.

— Philippe Magoni, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
The suspect crossed the border into France on foot, and was identified via video surveillance in Monaco and the neighboring French town of Beausoleil, Mirmand said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026

Definition of neighboring

Adjective

Hotel Excelsior is actually two adjoining buildings, one historic and the other modern, providing guests with a variety of room types and styles.

— Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Discharging fireworks in these cities is banned in city parks and in unincorporated areas of adjoining counties.

— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 1 July 2026