Appalachia
Americannoun
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a region in the eastern United States, in the area of the southern Appalachian Mountains, usually including northeastern Alabama, northwestern Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, western Virginia, eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, and eastern Ohio.
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Geology. a Paleozoic landmass, the erosion of which provided the sediments to form the rocks of the Appalachian Mountains.
noun
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A major coal-mining center and one of the most impoverished regions of the country.
Etymology
Origin of Appalachia
First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from Appalachian ( def. )
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.
She spent her lifetime giving back to Appalachia and other regions of her home state, sponsoring literacy programs and building the Dollywood theme park to attract tourism and create jobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"I think growing up in Appalachia, she's always been my hero," Donchatz, a 35-year-old mortgage processor from Asheville, North Carolina, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
While the way much of the region votes may negate this message, there exists a massive minority in Appalachia that has always felt this way — and continues to practice it.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
In 2024, she pledged $2m for Hurricane Helene relief in East Tennessee and Appalachia, combining a personal donation with matching support from her businesses and foundation.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
They were filmmakers from New York City, and they’d been sent to Welch as part of a government program to bring cultural uplift to rural Appalachia.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
