contiguous
adjective
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Time to get a little closer with contiguous, a word likely most familiar in the phrase "contiguous United States." Otherwise known as the conterminous United States, this region comprises the collective states within the U.S. that connect geographically by shared borders, as well as the nation's capital. Looking for a word to describe freestanding states like Hawaii and Alaska, or seabound territories along the lines of Guam and American Samoa? Today’s word has a direct antonym: noncontiguous. Both come from the Latin verb contingere, meaning "to be in contact with."
Synonyms
Examples of contiguous in a Sentence
Robert D. Kaplan, Atlantic, February 1993
The Santa Monica Mountains, a sort of foot-note to the big contiguous ranges, stood off to the southwest of us, discrete and small.
—John McPhee, New Yorker, 26 Sept. 1988
'I've had my men looking into the land situation … and they think they could get us an additional thirty thousand acres, not all of it contiguous but we might make some trades.'
—James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
Connecticut and Massachusetts are contiguous states.
Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will happen Aug. 23, 2044.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
And like the solar eclipse, which isn't expected to be seen in the contiguous U.S. until 2044, the next cicada double-emergence of these two broods won't happen again for a while, next predicted in 2245.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States will take place in 2044.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
The next time a total solar eclipse will happen in the contiguous United States will be in 2044.
—Carolyn Burt, Orange County Register, 8 Apr. 2024
After the April 8 eclipse, the next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
After next week, there won’t be another total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous US for another two decades until August 23rd, 2044.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2024
Further southward, many runners rely on the Emerald Necklace, a contiguous line of parks that span some 1,100 acres of urban green space designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1800s.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contiguous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Latin contiguus "adjacent, neighboring" (from contig-, variant stem of contingere "to be in contact with" + -uus, deverbal adjective suffix) + -ous — more at contingent entry 1
circa 1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Contiguous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contiguous. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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contiguous
adjective
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contiguous
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on contiguous
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Britannica English: Translation of contiguous for Arabic Speakers
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