adjective
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touching along the side or boundary; in contact
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physically adjacent; neighbouring
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preceding or following in time
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contiguous
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin contiguus “touching, bordering upon,“ equivalent to prefix con- “with, together” + tig- (variant stem of -tingere, combining form of tangere “to touch”) + -uus adjective suffix; see con-, tangent, contingent, contact; cf. -ous, continuous
Compare meaning
How does contiguous compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adjective contiguous when you want to describe one thing touching another thing, or next to it but not actually touching. Things that are contiguous are near or next to but not actually touching and yet they are also defined as "touching, sharing a border." You can use this adjective to describe people or things related to and nearby others. It comes from the Latin word contiguus, which means pretty much the same thing, "bordering upon." Because the word has two meanings that are very similar but not always the same it can be a bit confusing. This is an example of what's called "semantic ambiguity," when something can mean more than one thing or a word or phrase is not precise.
Vocabulary lists containing contiguous
The Crucible
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Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")
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The United States
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The so-called "historic rights" simply dated back to 1998 when PRC first employed that term in its passing of the Law on EEZ and Contiguous Zone.
From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2016
Contiguous screens line the walls and ceiling, playing images programmed by media artist David Niles .
From Washington Post • Jan. 6, 2016
Contiguous to these opens a deep caldron, two of the sides of which have broken down in ruin, while the others remain erect and steep.
From The Story of Ida Pfeiffer and Her Travels in Many Lands by Anonymous
The day of our departure was fixed; it was settled, further, that one of our Christians should convey us in his car to Tolon-Noor, distant from the Contiguous Defiles about fifty leagues.
From Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China During the years 1844-5-6. Volume 1 [of 2] by Huc, Evariste Regis
Contiguous to this water, and intermixed in a fine grove of large trees, are the various fragments of the ruins already noticed.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 17, No. 493, June 11, 1831 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
