southern
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
In or characteristic of a region of the United States south of the Mason-Dixon line.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhthernSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsʌðɚn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Of, facing, situated in, or related to the south.
Of or pertaining to a southern region, especially Southern Europe or the southern United States.
Situated in or coming from regions of the south
Of a wind: blowing from the south; southerly.
chiefly us
From or pertaining to the South, the south-eastern states of the United States, southern portions of some other states (e.g., Southern California), or to the inhabitants or culture of that region.
In or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
noun
An American fruit-flavored whiskey liqueur, created in New Orleans in 1874, which is caramel in color.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
More ways to use southern
- “Southern hospitality.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Deciduous shrub of eastern North America having blue-black berries and tough pliant wood formerly used to make arrows.
A variety of aster.
A member of the Southern Baptist Convention.
An association of Southern Baptists.
Any of various beeches of the southern hemisphere having small usually evergreen leaves.
Beech fern of North American woodlands having straw-colored stripes.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.