southern

[ suhth-ern ]

/ ˈsʌð ərn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for southern on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

coming from the south, as a wind.

of or relating to the south.

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

Southern, Astronomy. being or located south of the celestial equator or of the zodiac: a southern constellation.

noun

Often Southern . southerner (def. 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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of southern

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

Words nearby southern

Southend-on-Sea, South Equatorial Current, souther, southerly, southerly buster, southern, Southern Alps, Southern Baptist, southern blight, Southern blot, Southern British English

Other definitions for southern (2 of 2)

Southern

[ suhth-ern ]

/ ˈsʌð ərn /

noun

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

OTHER WORDS FROM Southern

pro-Southern, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use southern in a sentence

The cold climates of Northern Europe proved mostly inhospitable to sugarcane cultivation, so the plant took root in the more temperate South and the islands off Europe’s southern coast.
Has a startup finally found one of food science’s holy grails with its healthy sugar substitute?|Jonathan Shieber|February 26, 2021|TechCrunch
The mosquito is already established in the southern part of the country, but outbreaks of the diseases remain rare because transmission can only occur when summer temperatures get extremely hot.
Does a cold winter mean fewer bugs in the summer?|Philip Kiefer|February 25, 2021|Popular-Science
By the time Azeema and her forces—including the uninjured nineteen who had made it through the day’s events—returned to their positions on the southern front line, night and its crisp coolness had arrived.
The Women Who Fought to Defend Their Homes Against ISIS|Gayle Tzemach Lemmon|February 22, 2021|Time
If you’d rather hang out near Yosemite’s southern gateway, Bass Lake is only a half-hour south of Wawona and offers a host of recreational opportunities, including excellent warm-water fishing.
The Ultimate Yosemite National Park Travel Guide|Shawnté Salabert|February 22, 2021|Outside Online

There could be a glaze of ice and a coating or so of snow where any activity is consistent, although more like a tenth of an inch of ice is possible in southern Maryland.
PM Update: Slippery conditions through the night as periodic light wintry mix persists|Ian Livingston|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
In Afghanistan, there was a push to take back the southern province Helmand.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Although Southern did not automatically equal neo-Confederate, at times the distinction could easily get lost.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yet all too often the line between Southern and Confederate can get blurred.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rather, it was the Democrats who initially were the Southern Party.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We see the Southern segregationists who threatened his life and that of his family on an almost daily basis.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
See how those distant peaks rise serenely over the southern horizon!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
My mother now tells me that she knew of this mistake, an error of the New York paper in copying the item from a Southern journal.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
There was hardly to be found in all Southern Tennessee a more contented, shiftless, ill-bestead family than theirs.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Miss Anne smiled kindly, not dreaming of his perplexity, amused by his Southern warmth.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The last three years I've been in the Judith Basin, and southern outfits haven't begun to come in there yet.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for southern (1 of 2)

southern

/ (ˈsʌðən) /

adjective

situated in or towards the south

(of a wind, etc) coming from the south

native to, inhabiting, or growing in the south

(sometimes capital) astronomy south of the celestial equator

British Dictionary definitions for southern (2 of 2)

Southern

/ (ˈsʌðən) /

adjective

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

southern

Origin of southern

Words nearby southern

Other definitions for southern (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FROM Southern

Words related to southern

How to use southern in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for southern (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for southern (2 of 2)