adjacency

noun

ad·​ja·​cen·​cy ə-ˈjā-sᵊn(t)-sē How to pronounce adjacency (audio)
plural adjacencies
Synonyms of adjacencynext
1
: something that is adjacent
2
: the quality or state of being adjacent : contiguity

Synonyms of adjacency

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of adjacency in a Sentence

environmentalists are concerned about the proposed shopping plaza's adjacency to the river
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.
There's no better place than art to find your color adjacencies and color theories. — Eleni N. Gage, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2026 That moment wasn’t just celebrity adjacency. — Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 25 June 2026 Yet beyond rarity and badge adjacency, value lies in the audacity of the idea and the precision of its execution. — Eric Hendrikx, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2026 The space, ideal for the South County coastal enclave whose denizens relish their seaside adjacency, is meant to reflect the Cycladic islands (think oceanic blues and whites). — Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for adjacency

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin adjacentia, going back to Late Latin, "adherence," noun derivative of Latin adjacent-, adjacens adjacent

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of adjacency was in 1640

Rhymes for adjacency

See All Rhymes for adjacency

Browse Nearby Words

adjacence
adjacency
adjacency effect
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Adjacency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjacency. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All