adjacent

[uh-jey-suhnt]

adjective

1. lying near, close, or contiguous; adjoining; neighboring.

   a motel adjacent to the highway.

   Synonyms: touching
   Antonyms: distant

2. just before, after, or facing.

   a map on an adjacent page.

3. (used in combination)

   1. related or very close to a specified topic, activity, etc..

      While the comment was not outright racist, it was racist-adjacent.

   2. supporting or being an ally of a group or subculture without being a part of it.

      She describes herself as queer-adjacent.

   3. having the traits or interests of a group or subculture without being a part of it.

      Are they full-on geeks or just nerd-adjacent?

adjacent

/ əˈdʒeɪsənt /

adjective

1. being near or close, esp having a common boundary; adjoining; contiguous

2. maths

   1. (of a pair of vertices in a graph) joined by a common edge

   2. (of a pair of edges in a graph) meeting at a common vertex

noun

1. geometry the side lying between a specified angle and a right angle in a right-angled triangle

Other Word Forms

• adjacently adverb
• adjacency noun
• nonadjacent adjective
• nonadjacently adverb
• subadjacent adjective
• subadjacently adverb
• superadjacent adjective
• superadjacently adverb
• unadjacent adjective
• unadjacently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjacent¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin adjacent- (stem of adjacēns, present participle of adjacēre “to adjoin”), equivalent to ad- “toward” ( ad- ) + jac- “lie” + -ent- adjective suffix ( -ent )

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjacent¹

C15: from Latin adjacēre to lie next to, from ad- near + jacēre to lie

Synonym Study

See adjoining.

Example Sentences

On a recent Thursday morning, public opinion appeared split among passersby at the Metro station and adjacent bus stop.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This is inevitable, since the captors also spend time in the tunnel, albeit in an adjacent room that is much more comfortable.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Police accused O’Keefe of placing both his legs across an adjacent seat, violating the rail line’s rules.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Still, it wasn’t easy to reach the garage, which housed his art studio, and the adjacent laundry room.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Decades-long industry veterans have pivoted to adjacent professions, including teaching and advertising.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adjoining 
• bordering www.thesaurus.com
• contiguous 
• neighboring