Jump To:

• western
  western

  adjective

  lying toward or situated in the west.
• Western
  Western

  adjective

  of, relating to, or characteristic of the West as opposed to the Orient

western

American  

[wes-tern] / ˈwɛs tərn /

adjective

1. lying toward or situated in the west.

   our company's western office.

2. directed or proceeding toward the west.

   a western migration.

3. coming or originating from the west, as a wind.

4. (often initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, living in, or characteristic of the West, especially the western U.S..

   a Western ranch.

5. (usually initial capital letter) Occidental.

   to adopt Western dress.

6. (usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the non-Communist countries of Europe and the Americas.

   Western trade agreements.

7. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Western Church.

---

noun

1. (often initial capital letter) a story, movie, or radio or television play about the U.S. West of the 19th century.

2. western sandwich.

3. a person or thing from a western region or country.

western ¹ British  

/ ˈwɛstən /

adjective

1. situated in or towards or facing the west

2. going or directed to or towards the west

3. (of a wind, etc) coming or originating from the west

4. native to, inhabiting, or growing in the west

5. music See country and western

---

Western ² British  

/ ˈwɛstən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the West as opposed to the Orient

2. (formerly) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Americas and the parts of Europe not under Communist rule

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the western states of the US

---

noun

1. a film, book, etc, concerned with life in the western states of the US, esp during the era of exploration and early development

Other Word Forms

• anti-Western
  adjective
• nonwestern
  adjective
• pro-Western
  adjective
• unwestern
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of western

before 1050; 1905–10 western for def. 8; Middle English, Old English westerne, equivalent to west west + -erne -ern

Explanation

Anything western comes from the west, like a western wind that blows your hair sideways. Western also refers to anything from that half of the world — North America and Europe — as well as old cowboy movies. Although western literally refers to anything in the west, like that wind or a direction on a compass, the Western world refers to the culture of the USA and Europe. The other is Eastern society, which includes Asia. They aren’t as popular now, but kids used to watch Westerns, also known as cowboy movies. If you go to a store that sells Western wear, you might walk out with a ten-gallon hat and red cowboy boots. Yeehaw!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

western Western

In Belfast, the Moon will be will be low in the western sky at about nine degrees with the eclipse ending at 06:34.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

In the last few years, multiple studies have shown that global warming is intensifying drought and worsening water scarcity in California and the western United States.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The previous day, about 100 laid-off workers had been demonstrating against their dismissal at the Shadegan steel complex in western Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Scientists have identified a new species of lizard living in the high mountain forests of western Thailand.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

The meteorologist is on now, standing in front of a map of western Washington State.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Australia became the first major Western nation to ban social media use for those under 16.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Ratko Mladic, the so-called "butcher of Bosnia" who has reportedly died at the age of either 83 or 84, had insisted he was chosen by "fate" to defend the Serb people from a Western onslaught.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

The findings suggest that Western reluctance to eat insects may have roots that extend far beyond recent customs or religious traditions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

With only a trickle of Patriot interceptors arriving from Western allies, Ukraine is working on other ways to disrupt Russia’s missile salvos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

This is so ingrained, that it is almost impossible to unlearn this Western cultural norm.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin