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• 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.

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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

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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

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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

A police officer told AFP that police fired shots into the air to disperse a crowd in Bara, a town in the province's western Khyber district, and five people were detained as dozens protested there.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

The army controls much of Sudan's central and eastern regions, while the RSF is headquartered in the western region of Darfur and also controls areas in the south.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Soon Marshall’s tailrace was universally acknowledged to be the doorway to the Mother Lode, “a snakelike vein of quartz-encapsulated gold that extended for more than 150 miles along the western edge” of the Sierra Nevada.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Earthquakes are rare in Panama and when they do occur usually strike in western Chiriqui province.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Most would trade for western goods at a nice profit and turn back at Kashgar.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Grynkewich elaborated what he called his "theory of victory" to defeat an armed attack on the alliance as worries surge over what Western officials call a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage and interference by Moscow.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

A spectacular explosion of wildflowers has transformed the normally dry, rust-colored landscape of Western Australia into a vibrant patchwork of green and colorful blooms.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Even in regions such as Western Europe and Asia/Oceania that span some bigger football markets, average pay is not significantly higher than national minimum wage levels.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Reckitt’s success capitalizing on Chinese consumers’ shift points to how Western firms that once counted on China for growth can still thrive there, though local competitors have made it a tougher place to do business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Meanwhile, another nightmarish battle, raging since the beginning of July, had shifted the center of action on the Western Front from Verdun to the Somme River.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman