inland

inland — adjective

1. located in the central part of a country, far from the ocean or any coastal area

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

located in the central part of a country, far from the ocean or any coastal area

Example

The Watanabe family runs a small farm in an inland region of Japan.

collocation: inland region

Inland areas often have hotter summers and colder winters than the coast.

contrast: inland areas vs the coast

Common collocations
  • inland region
  • inland area
  • inland city
  • inland town
  • inland lake
  • inland waters
  • inland community
Synonyms
  • interior

    broader — can refer to the inside of any area, not just a country

  • landlocked

    stronger — means completely surrounded by land with no sea access

  • in-country

    formal — used mainly in logistics or travel

Antonyms
  • coastal

    refers to areas on or near the coast

  • maritime

    relates to the sea or coast

Grammar Patterns

inland + noun

Usage Note

Always used before a noun — you cannot say 'a region inland' to mean an inland region. The noun 'inland' is used instead.

Common Mistakes

They live in an inland.' (as a noun for a region)
They live in an inland area.
Use 'inland' as an adjective + noun when referring to a place; use 'the inland' as a noun only when speaking generally about the region.

inland — adverb

inland — noun

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Inland, interior, and landlocked all describe locations away from a coast, but they differ in scope and strength. Inland is the everyday word for any place that is not near the sea — it can describe a city, a region, or a lake. Interior is broader: it can refer to the central part of any space, not just a country (e.g. 'the interior of the building'), and it sounds more formal when used for geography. Landlocked is more specific and stronger; it means completely surrounded by land with no sea access at all, and is most often used for countries (e.g. 'Paraguay is a landlocked country'). A city can be inland without being landlocked, because a country might still have a coast somewhere. In-country is a formal, logistical term meaning 'within the borders of a country' and is rarely used for geography. For everyday writing, inland is the best choice; use interior for a more formal tone, and landlocked only when no sea access exists.

interior ↗landlockedin-country

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • far inland
  • inland from the coast
  • deep inland

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Inland comes from the Old English words 'in' (within) and 'land' (land, country), joined together in the medieval period to describe the part of a country that lies within its borders rather than along its coast. The adverbial use developed around the 1400s, and the adjective was in common use by the 1500s.