adjective
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touching along the side or boundary; in contact
-
physically adjacent; neighbouring
-
preceding or following in time
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
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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 Karoo Basin, once contiguous with Antarctica—and later underwater and now semi-arid—was a verdant home for what the show says were six basic groups of therapsids.
And could states not physically contiguous to Pakistan or India choose to join either?
Another hiker has died while attempting to summit the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., marking the third reported death on Mt.
From Los Angeles Times
The contiguous U.S. experienced the fourth warmest year in its 131-year record, according to NOAA’s assessment.
From Los Angeles Times
California has the highest bear population estimate in the contiguous United States.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
