western

[wes-tern]

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

/ 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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of western¹

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

Example Sentences

The plan includes diverting two tributaries of the River Achelous in western Greece, in addition to drilling and desalination projects.

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A piece of a western Massachusetts estate was repurposed in the 1950s as a musical haven.

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Lakanwal had been living in the western state of Washington with his family and had driven across the country to the capital, officials said.

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After college, Rankin became an advocate and organizer for the suffrage movement in several western states and New York.

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The death toll from floods and landslides on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra this week has risen to 174, a disaster official said on Friday, with about 80 more people missing.

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