northwestern

adjective

north·​west·​ern nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stərn How to pronounce northwestern (audio)
1
often Northwestern : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated Northwest
2
: lying toward or coming from the northwest
northwesternmost
nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst How to pronounce northwestern (audio)
adjective

Examples of northwestern in a Sentence

the northwestern corner of the state
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.
At a fossil site in northwestern Canada called Raven’s Throat River, the mudstone still holds 500-million-year-old coprolites, some as wide as five centimeters, along with complete fossils of trilobites and mollusk-like hyoliths with conical shells. — ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026 The Caspian Pipeline Consortium operates a pipeline from the Caspian coast in northwestern Kazakhstan to Novorossiysk. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 High Rock – The northwestern-most region in Tamriel, though no other names have spaces, and that does not sound cool. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The quake’s epicenter was in the northwestern department of Chocó, but the tremor was felt strongly about 150 miles away in the nation’s capital of Bogotá. — CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for northwestern

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of northwestern was in 1577

Rhymes for northwestern

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Browse Nearby Words

northwesterly
northwestern
northwestern anthracnose
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Cite this Entry

“Northwestern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwestern. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

northwestern

adjective
north·​west·​ern nȯrth-ˈwes-tərn How to pronounce northwestern (audio)
1
often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Northwest
2
: lying toward or coming from the northwest

More from Merriam-Webster on northwestern

Nglish: Translation of northwestern for Spanish Speakers

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