northern

American  

[nawr-thern] / ˈnɔr ðərn /

adjective

1. lying toward or situated in the north.

2. directed or proceeding northward.

3. coming from the north, as a wind.

4. Often Northern of or relating to the North, especially the northern United States.

5. Astronomy. north of the celestial equator or of the zodiac.

   a northern constellation.

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noun

1. a person living in a northern region or country.

2. Northern, a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a four-wheeled rear truck.

northern British  

/ ˈnɔːðən /

adjective

1. situated in or towards the north

   northern towns

2. directed or proceeding towards the north

   a northern flow of traffic

3. (esp of winds) proceeding from the north

4. (sometimes capital) of, relating to, or characteristic of the north or North

5. (sometimes capital) astronomy north of the celestial equator

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Other Word Forms

• northernness
  noun
• pro-Northern
  adjective
• unnorthern
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of northern

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; see north, -ern

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

northern

However, a weather front will move slowly southwards taking rain across Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales and behind it things will start to turn cooler.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Str8 has an R&D operation in northern Taiwan, works with a shipyard in the southern Taiwan port of Kaohsiung and has a home office in Virginia, said Ho.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

But America declined to take the northern islands, seeing little additional strategic value in them.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

The center of Rachel was expected to move onshore in northern Baja California on Saturday night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

I only know it’s in the northern part of the state, where the trees are tall and green in the summer and the snow falls heavily in the winter.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy