north-western

north-western — adjective

1. located in, coming from, or associated with the north-west part of a country, re

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

located in, coming from, or associated with the north-west part of a country, region, or area.

Example

The north-western coast of Scotland is famous for its rugged cliffs and wide sandy beaches.

collocation: north-western coast

Winter storms often cause power cuts in the mountain villages of north-western Portugal.

collocation: north-western + [place name / region]

Common collocations
  • north-western coast
  • north-western region
  • north-western corner
  • north-western part
  • north-western border
  • north-western province
  • north-western county
Synonyms
  • northwestern

    Same meaning; the unhyphenated spelling is standard in American English and growing in British English too.

  • north-west

    Used as an adjective with the same meaning, especially with proper place names, e.g. 'north-west England'. Slightly more compact but interchangeable.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

north-western + [geographical noun]

Usage Note

This adjective is almost always used directly before a noun (attributive position). In British English the hyphen is standard; American English often writes 'northwestern' as one word. Do not use 'north-western' for wind direction — use 'north-westerly' instead.

Common Mistakes

A north-western wind brought cold air from the Arctic.
A north-westerly wind brought cold air from the Arctic.
'North-westerly' describes wind direction; 'north-western' describes a fixed area or region.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'North-western' (or 'northwestern' in US English) refers to a fixed area or position — it describes where something is located, such as a coast, region, or corner. 'North-westerly' describes movement or direction, particularly wind ('a north-westerly breeze') or a general trajectory ('heading in a north-westerly direction'). 'Northern' is broader and covers the entire northern part of a region — it is not limited to the north-west quadrant. 'North-west' can serve as an adjective before place names ('north-west England') with the same meaning as 'north-western', but is less common in descriptive phrases like 'the north-western corner of the park'. For example: 'She drove along the north-western coast of the island' (position) vs. 'She drove in a north-westerly direction' (movement).

north-western ↗north-westerlynorthern ↗north-west ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the north-western part of [country/region]

Prepositions

  • of (the north-western coast of…)

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'north' (from Old English 'norþ', of Germanic origin) and 'western' (from Old English 'west', also Germanic). The hyphenated form became common in British English during the 19th century as a way of linking two equally important parts of a compound adjective, similar to 'south-eastern' and 'north-eastern'.