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• southern
  southern

  adjective

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

  noun

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

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

See Examples For:

southern Southern

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan on Tuesday, triggering rescue operations and safety protocols.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

An urgent investigation has been launched into the mysterious deaths of 14 elephants in southern Kenya near the Amboseli National Park.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Several scenes were shot in Messenia and Corinth in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Pediatrician in southern Utah: A lot of parents are concerned about autism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

After less than a year as assistant to a minister in Uithuizen, he had been given a church of his own in Brabant, the beautiful rural southern part of Holland.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

With the filing, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern said they have now completed their responses to the STB’s requests for supplemental information.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Canadian YouTuber Lauren Southern, for instance, was an early adopter of pick-me conservatism whose first video, posted when she was 19, was titled “Why I’m not a feminist.”

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

CARSON: Best in the City Section looking to beat some Southern Section teams with improved line play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Spirit have lost their opening two games and are second from bottom in the table, above Southern Brave.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Having all four children obtain both high school and college degrees was a feat that would have made any family proud—Northern or Southern, Colored, White, or anything else.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson