southwestern

southwestern — adjective

1. located in, moving toward, or originating from the direction midway between sout

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

located in, moving toward, or originating from the direction midway between south and west on a compass.

Example

The southwestern coast of Taiwan faces the Taiwan Strait.

collocation: southwestern coast

A strong southwestern wind blew across the plain all afternoon.

collocation: southwestern wind for wind direction

Common collocations
  • southwestern coast
  • southwestern border
  • southwestern wind
  • southwestern corner
  • southwestern part
  • southwestern region
  • southwestern edge
Synonyms
  • southwest

    Used as an adjective before nouns such as 'wind' or 'corner' with the same meaning, but more common in fixed phrases ('southwest wind').

  • southwesterly

    More formal register, typically used for winds or ocean currents; less common for describing static locations.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

southwestern + noun (geographic feature / region / direction)

Usage Note

Frequently used before nouns that name geographic features (coast, border, corner), administrative divisions (province, county), or wind directions. For wind direction, 'southwest wind' is also common; 'southwestern wind' places more emphasis on the adjective describing the wind's quality of origin.

Common Mistakes

The typhoon moved to the southwestern direction
The typhoon moved in a southwestern direction.
add the preposition 'in' before the directional phrase.
The southwestern of the island is very dry
The southwestern part of the island is very dry.
'southwestern' is an adjective, not a noun; use 'the southwestern part' or 'the southwest' (noun form).

2. describing the culture, history, or natural environment of the American Southwes

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing the culture, history, or natural environment of the American Southwest, especially the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and nearby areas.

Example

The restaurant serves authentic southwestern dishes with beans, corn, and chili peppers.

collocation: southwestern dishes / cuisine

Padma bought a rug with a traditional southwestern pattern in red and turquoise.

Common collocations
  • southwestern cuisine
  • southwestern architecture
  • southwestern landscape
  • southwestern art
  • southwestern pottery
  • southwestern style
  • southwestern desert
  • southwestern United States
Antonyms
  • northeastern

    Refers to the opposite region of the US (New England, Mid-Atlantic).

Grammar Patterns

southwestern + noun (cuisine / architecture / culture / landscape / art)

Usage Note

This sense is specific to the United States and is most commonly used when describing food, art, architectural style, and cultural traditions originating from the desert region of the US Southwest. Outside of American contexts, use sense 1 (GEOGRAPHIC DIRECTION) instead.

Common Mistakes

She ordered southwestern food in Taipei.
She ordered food inspired by southwestern US cuisine in Taipei.
without the US context, 'southwestern' defaults to a compass direction. Clarify the cultural reference.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words can describe a direction or location between south and west, but they are used differently. 'Southwest' is the most common choice for wind ('a southwest wind') and functions as both a noun ('the southwest of England') and an adjective. 'Southwestern' is the standard adjective for describing regions, borders, coasts, and corners — it sounds more natural than 'southwest' before most location nouns ('southwestern region' not 'southwest region'). 'Southwesterly' is the most formal and is mostly used for winds, currents, or weather patterns in technical or literary contexts. For everyday descriptions of a place's location, 'southwestern' is the best choice: 'the southwestern edge of the city' sounds natural, whereas 'the southwesterly edge' sounds odd and 'the southwest edge' is possible but less common.

southwestern ↗southwest ↗southwesterly

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

  • in the southwestern part of
  • from the southwestern
  • along the southwestern

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English from 'southwest' (the direction) plus the suffix '-ern', which is used to make adjectives from compass points. The same pattern appears in 'northern', 'southern', 'eastern', and 'western'. 'Southwest' itself comes from Old English 'sūþwest', a combination of 'sūþ' (south) and 'west' (west).