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

In 1980, along the Pearblossom Highway in northern L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Tehran wants ships to go through the strait’s northern passage, which hugs Iran’s coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

In Montreal, the sky turned yellow on Tuesday morning due to smoke from wildfires burning several hundred miles away in northern Quebec and northwestern Ontario.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

A weaker AMOC, he argues, could sharpen the temperature contrast between northern and southern Europe - one of the gradients that helps drive storms and other extremes.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The gradual emancipation schemes adopted in the northern states never needed to face this question squarely, because the black population there remained relatively small.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis