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.
A middle belt, which he terms "Greater Appalachia", was first settled by independent-minded Scots and Irish.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The other stretches east to the West Virginia border, taking in a slice of Appalachia.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
Beyond Sanders, who most recently held rallies in West Virginia in 2025, Andy Beshear has been one of few Democrats of national stature to consistently engage on issues facing Appalachia and rural America.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
Ballad Health, a rural health system in Appalachia, currently has 500 positions in nursing it is trying to fill, due largely to higher demand from patients as they age into Medicare in their 60s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
As we looked out of the windows Momma checked her notebook, then announced, “This is the Appalachia Mountains. We’re over six thousand feet above sea level, this is higher than we’ve ever been before.”
From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
