southern

¹ American  

[suhth-ern] / ˈsʌð ərn /

adjective

1. lying toward, situated in, or directed toward the south.

2. coming from the south, as a wind.

3. of or relating to the south.

4. Southern, of or relating to the South of the United States.

5. Astronomy. Southern, being or located south of the celestial equator or of the zodiac.

   a southern constellation.

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noun

1. Often Southern southerner.

2. Southern, the dialect of English spoken in the eastern parts of Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, in Florida, in the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and in southeastern Texas.

Southern ² American  

[suhth-ern] / ˈsʌð ərn /

noun

1. Terry, 1924–95, U.S. novelist and screenwriter.

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southern ¹ British  

/ ˈsʌðən /

adjective

1. situated in or towards the south

2. (of a wind, etc) coming from the south

3. native to, inhabiting, or growing in the south

4. (sometimes capital) astronomy south of the celestial equator

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Southern ² British  

/ ˈsʌðən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the south of a particular region or country

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Etymology

Origin of southern

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

Explanation

Southern means from the south, like a southern breeze. But if you call a group of people “y’all,” you might be Southern, a word which refers to the American South and usually gets a capital “S” — and a side of hush puppies. A southern breeze happens when wind is moving from the south to the north, and the Southern Hemisphere is south of the equator. When southern refers to the direction, it’s not capitalized; when it's used in the name of specific place, however, it is capitalized. Southern comes from south, which derives from a Germanic word meaning "sun-side."

Example Sentences

Oil prices surged after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz -- a critical shipping chokepoint off Iran's southern coast -- pushed US gasoline above $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

He and his family journeyed for hundreds of miles by cart from Tartu in southern Estonia to Hamburg in northern Germany.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

The Lebanese Armed Forces said the incident followed exchanges of fire with armed individuals, adding that it was co-ordinating closely with Unifil during what it described as a sensitive phase in southern Lebanon.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

The Great Valley Farm Partnership, a coalition of Central Valley farmers and water agencies, has identified 75 miles of channels, mostly in the southern delta, as priority areas for dredging.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Some of the men had never been out of England before, let alone imagined a voyage to the southern continent.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong