Jump To:

• 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.

---

midwestern British  

/ ˈmɪdˈwɛstən /

adjective

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

---

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Midwestern midwestern

In all that time, he returned to our Midwestern home state, where I still live, only three times.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

That likely includes Taco Bell—which has now “voluntarily and temporarily” removed some unnamed ingredients from restaurants located within various Midwestern and Appalachian states—but none of this is a mere consequence of living más.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

As of Friday, air quality in Detroit was worst in the world, Swiss air quality tracker IQAir said, external, followed by the Midwestern city of Chicago, Washington DC, and New York in seventh place.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

“With the significant increase in cases in the Eastern and Midwestern states, we will monitor for cases that may be associated with travel to areas of the country that are experiencing these increases,” Deines said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The Lawrence family was pious in the manner of northern Midwestern Lutherans, religion serving as much as the warp and woof of the community fabric as a source of personal succor or theological speculation.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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

When Jennifer Arnold learned one of her neighbors in the midwestern city of Minneapolis had been arrested by immigration authorities late last year, she reached out to lend a hand.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

As midwestern demographics continue to evolve, this looks different as more cultures make an imprint on future generations.

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2025

Francie wondered, if it was so good, why he hadn’t matriculated there instead of at the university of another midwestern state.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith