1
capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated South
2
a
: lying toward the south
b
: coming from the south
a southern wind
southernness noun often capitalized

Southern

2 of 2

noun

: the dialect of English spoken in most of the Chesapeake Bay area, the coastal plain and the greater part of the upland plateau in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Gulf states at least as far west as the valley of the Brazos in Texas and sometimes taken to include the south Midland area

Examples of southern in a Sentence

Adjective the southern part of the state the southern shore of the lake
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
And in the southern city of Rafah, Palestinian municipal officials said Israeli bombardments forced residents to move outdoors in rainy weather, deepening their suffering. arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025 Local authorities said two people were injured and six apartments were damaged when a Ukrainian drone hit a high-rise apartment block in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Friday night. Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2025 The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, is a chokepoint for global oil shipments, particularly for crude oil traveling from the Gulf to Europe and the Americas. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025 Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike in the southern village of Touline killed two people and wounded eight others. Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for southern

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English southern, southren, from Old English sūtherne; akin to Old High German sundrōni southern, Old English sūth south

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of southern was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Southern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southern. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

southern

adjective
1
capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the South
2
: lying toward or coming from the south

More from Merriam-Webster on southern

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