contiguous

American  

[kuhn-tig-yoo-uhs] / kənˈtɪg yu əs /

adjective

1. touching; in contact.

   Synonyms:

   adjoining

2. in close proximity without actually touching; near.

   Synonyms:

   adjacent

3. adjacent in time.

   contiguous events.

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contiguous British  

/ kənˈtɪɡjʊəs, ˌkɒntɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ /

adjective

1. touching along the side or boundary; in contact

2. physically adjacent; neighbouring

3. preceding or following in time

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Other Word Forms

• contiguity noun
• contiguously adverb
• contiguousness noun
• noncontiguous adjective
• noncontiguously adverb
• noncontiguousness noun
• uncontiguous adjective
• uncontiguously adverb
• uncontiguousness noun

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; con-, tangent, contingent, contact; -ous, continuous

Compare meaning

How does contiguous compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• contiguous vs. continuous

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.

Example Sentences

To address this gap, the researchers developed a framework to examine temperature changes across the contiguous 48 United States, allowing for a more precise comparison of how warming unfolds in different locations.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026

California is home to roughly 60,000 black bears, the highest population estimate for anywhere in the contiguous U.S., but attacks are rare.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

SpaceX’s Nicholls said that his company plans to launch its direct-to-cell capable satellites in mid-2027 and can put up a constellation capable of “global and contiguous coverage” within six months.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

And could states not physically contiguous to Pakistan or India choose to join either?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The gymnasium was contiguous to the east wing of the school, and a grassless football field with cracked baked mud harrowed by cleats formed the far boundary of the campus to the north.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• adjoining
• neighboring