as in hills
an area of high ground
there are permanent glaciers in the cool, humid highlands of the Pacific Northwest
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Recent Examples of highlands
For his latest documentary the German filmmaker behind Grizzly Man and Cave of Forgotten Dreams follows conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes on his obsessive quest to find the mythical ghost elephants of Lisima in the highlands of Angola.
—
Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Set in the remote highlands of Montenegro, the film tells the story of a shepherd mother and her daughter who proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of past violence that once shattered their family.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
About one hour east, deep within the highlands of the Khotokha Valley, the 20-room Farm Retreat will debut later this year ($800 per night, all-inclusive, two-night minimum).
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 1 Feb. 2026
Before the world complicated things with espresso machines, oat milk debates, and influencers lecturing to you about grind size, wild coffee trees were clinging to the Ethiopian highlands.
—John Noakes, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
In the 1880s, Belgium’s King Leopold II annexed the entire Congo Basin, more than nine hundred thousand square miles of Central African jungle, highlands, savanna, and forest, Katanga included.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
The path of totality passes just north of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), a cosmic-ray-hunting telescope in Namibia's Khomas highlands.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The Napo is home to small communities of Kichwa people, whose ancestors came down from the Andean highlands centuries ago.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
The shallow freshwater coursed lazily among the sawgrass, the water stretching from the Atlantic Coastal Ridge to the east to the highlands of what is now part of the Big Cypress National Preserve to the west.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Set in the remote highlands of Montenegro, the film tells the story of a shepherd mother and her daughter who proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of past violence that once shattered their family.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
About one hour east, deep within the highlands of the Khotokha Valley, the 20-room Farm Retreat will debut later this year ($800 per night, all-inclusive, two-night minimum).
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 1 Feb. 2026
Before the world complicated things with espresso machines, oat milk debates, and influencers lecturing to you about grind size, wild coffee trees were clinging to the Ethiopian highlands.
—John Noakes, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
In the 1880s, Belgium’s King Leopold II annexed the entire Congo Basin, more than nine hundred thousand square miles of Central African jungle, highlands, savanna, and forest, Katanga included.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
The path of totality passes just north of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), a cosmic-ray-hunting telescope in Namibia's Khomas highlands.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The Napo is home to small communities of Kichwa people, whose ancestors came down from the Andean highlands centuries ago.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
The shallow freshwater coursed lazily among the sawgrass, the water stretching from the Atlantic Coastal Ridge to the east to the highlands of what is now part of the Big Cypress National Preserve to the west.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highlands
Noun
-
Beyond them, the concrete of the 21st century falls away, replaced by creamy pillars and marble paving stretching into the distance, with green hills beyond.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
From the West Side to the East Side, the riverfront to the surrounding hills, Cincinnati is a city of 52 unique neighborhoods.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jim Lapic, master gardener with the Penn State Master Gardener Program, uses broken terracotta pots and places them along the sides of his garden mounds.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Another repost shows mounds of garbage piled up in New York City after the recent snowstorm.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Where once mountains were blanketed in thick white powder, many lie bare well into winter.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This is, of course, impacting snowpack in California’s mountains — snow that is a vital source of water for the state’s agriculture, recreation (ski tourism), and energy.—
Monica Garske,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With an itinerary that can swing from luaus to local restaurants and misty uplands to deep-sea diving, Hawaii demands a packing list as versatile as the islands themselves.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The driftwood trees help to blunt the effects of hurricanes—and, thus, slow down erosion—on the remaining woods and uplands.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Highlands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highlands. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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