1
Southern : 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 Southernness

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
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Adjective
Southern essentials such as brisket, Nashville hot chicken and grits round out the menu. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026 Parts of southern Marin County experienced tidal flooding on Monday and Tuesday, which flooded streets and led to a drivers being stranded and having to be rescued. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 The French too favoured an aggressive strategy, pushing into Alsace and Moselle and on into southern Belgium. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026 The bloody slayings unfolded about three miles apart, near the southern and northern ends of University Ave. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026 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 28 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

southern

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