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• Midwestern
  Midwestern

  adjective

  of or relating to the Midwest.
• midwestern
  midwestern

  adjective

  of or relating to the Midwest of the US or its inhabitants

Midwestern

American  

[mid-wes-tern] / ˌmɪdˈwɛs tərn /

Rarely Middle Western

adjective

1. of or relating to the Midwest.

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midwestern British  

/ ˈmɪdˈwɛstən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Midwest of the US or its inhabitants

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Usage

What does Midwestern mean? Midwestern is an adjective used to describe the region known as the Midwest—the northern central area of the mainland United States. Generally, the boundaries of the Midwestern region are Canada to the north, the Rocky Mountains to the west, the southern borders of Missouri and Kansas to the south, and the Allegheny Mountains to the east. Sometimes the Midwest is thought of as extending to the eastern border of Illinois or Ohio. The Midwest is one of the United States’ four official regions as defined by the U. S. Census Bureau. Because the Census Bureau doesn’t divide states when defining regions, it sets Ohio as the Midwest’s eastern border. According to the Census, 12 states are located within the Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Americans themselves often differ in terms of which states they consider to be Midwestern. Sometimes, states on the fringes, such as Ohio or North Dakota, aren’t considered to be a part of the Midwest. The word Midwestern is commonly used to describe the region and states in that region, but it can also describe the people who live there or things about them, as in Midwestern values. A person from the Midwest can be called a Midwesterner. Example: I always love to travel to the central United States to see the beautiful scenery of the Midwestern states.

Etymology

Origin of Midwestern

An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Midwestern midwestern

Released in 2013, the next instalment, "GTA V", involves a microcosm of US class warfare with stereotypes on both sides: left-leaning urbane hipsters pitted against Midwestern rednecks.

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

The Midwestern city of about 42,500 people held on to its top spot due to its low cost of living, high quality of life and favorable retiree taxes, according to the latest ranking by U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

A Midwestern member of the bishops' conference, Robert Barron of Minnesota, agreed to serve on the president's Religious Liberty Commission last year, as did former New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

When Red Bull wanted to raise prices on its energy drinks, Kroger KR 1.84%increase; up pointing triangle booted them from its stores, an unusual move for the Midwestern grocer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Me, with scraggly Midwestern bangs down to his soft Midwestern chin.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

Extreme heat warnings in the midwestern states of Wisconsin and Minnesota are expected to expire by Thursday night.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Tornados struck the midwestern US state of Michigan on Friday, killing four people and injuring at least a dozen others, US media reported.

From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026

A core of Minneapolis activists is playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the federal agents deployed in force to the midwestern city to round up undocumented immigrants.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

He charmed the Senate and then the Supreme Court media with this modest, midwestern institutionalist act.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2025

After that he looks like a midwestern bank president, with his straight neatly brushed silver hair, his sober posture, shoulders a little stooped.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

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