Skip to main content
northern

northern

301 2.0
From or typical of the north part of the United States
  • adjective
  • /ˈnɔrðərn/
  • US
translation icon : del Norte (EE. UU.)
  • We were having lunch at Misai Sake House on Northern Boulevard.
  • northern and southern

And you know, cold as hell, northern Vermont.

Examples

  • No, he spent a month in Northern California, working on the aqueduct.

  • Mining iron ore in northern New Jersey.

  • OK, so clearly this is all in our Northern Illinois zone.

  • The situation in Northern Ireland is spiralling out of control.

  • She was a tour guide at a tiny vineyard in Northern California.

  • I live in Napa that's in Northern California and I live next door to a vineyard.

  • The governments of Iran, Russia, and India supported the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, which held on to northeastern Afghanistan.

    Academic text (2012)
  • In 1979, a folklorist working in northern Georgia recorded a story told by John Cates in Cumming.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Like other intellectuals and politicians of the time, the poet regarded Mexico's northern neighbor as a menacing power.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The northern part of the United States is known for its diverse culture and rich history.

Antonyms

655 2.0

From the southern United States, especially its people, food, and way of life

Compounds

The half of the Earth north of the equator

A group of leaders and fighters in northern Afghanistan who united to fight the Taliban

Bright colourful lights that appear in the night sky near the North Pole

The half of Earth north of the equator

A region of Europe in the north that includes countries like Norway, Sweden, and Finland

northern pike
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A large freshwater fish with a long body that eats other fish in lakes and rivers

A large area in north central Australia run by the national government

Northern Cross
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A group of five bright stars shaped like a cross in the constellation Cygnus

A self-governing group of islands in the western Pacific that belong to the United States

1 6.5

A large apple that ripens late with crisp flesh and a tart taste

The part of the United States north of the Mason-Dixon line

The official name of the country in northwest Europe made of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

northern barramundi
  • Australian
9.9

A large freshwater fish from northern Australian rivers with reddish crescent spots on its scales

A land frog that digs and lives underground at night with a hard head

A small frog that jumps, lives near ponds, and makes a high, sharp call in eastern and central United States

A state in the north of Cyprus that only Turkey recognizes

A plant that lives for many years with feathery leaves and small yellow flowers in sand dunes

A low wild plant that makes small black edible berries like blackberries

A fern with delicate leaves that grows in moist woodlands of North America and Eurasia

A small North American bird like a quail that people often hunt

A small animal like a mouse that lives in wet mountain meadows in Canada and Alaska

A person who belongs to the American Baptist Churches, a Baptist church group from the northern United States

A group of Baptist churches in the northern United States founded in 1907 and later renamed American Baptist Churches USA

A North American plant that lives for many years with small white flowers often grown in gardens

A North American songbird with a crest and thick bill, male bright red and female brown with red highlights

A large North American squirrel that glides between trees using a skin flap

A medium-sized bird of prey that hunts low over fields and marshes

A very large, hairy animal like an elephant that lived in cold northern places

A group of islands in the western Pacific that govern themselves, excluding Guam

A yellow-green fern with delicate spreading leaves that grows in cool rocky places

A medium-sized bright orange and black songbird found in North America

A small blue-gray songbird with a yellow throat and chest in eastern North America

northern phalarope
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wading bird that breeds in the Arctic and often forms large flocks at sea

An evergreen fern with shiny leaves like holly grown as a decorative plant

A plant with upright stems and white flowers that lives many years in cold northern places

A large edible lobster from the Atlantic coast of North America or its meat

A small to medium oak tree from east-central North America with leaves that have many sharp points

northern snakehead
  • Specialized
8.7

Freshwater fish from East Asia that breathes air and can live out of water, and is harmful in North America

A small black bird with white marks that lives in northern seas like the Atlantic and Mediterranean

A North American plant that grows each year with small white flowers and spreads across the ground

A large pine tree from eastern North America with three needles in each cluster and thick, rough bark

A small burrowing animal like a mouse that has fur-lined cheek pouches and makes dirt mounds

northern porgy
  • Specialized
8.8

A sea fish that lives along the US east coast and that people eat

A large tree with broad leaves that have sharp points and a rounded top

8.7

The name for Zambia when it was a British territory before 1964

9.0

A small sea fish often fried and eaten off the east coast of the United States

northern sea robin
  • Specialized
9.7

A large sea fish with big front fins that stirs sand to find food

northern shrike
  • Specialized
8.3

A small northern bird that catches insects and small animals and sticks them on thorns

northern white cedar
  • Specialized
6.8

A small evergreen tree in eastern North America with tiny flat leaves often used for hedges

northern whiting
  • Specialized
8.8

A small saltwater fish with white flaky meat found off the US east coast

northern woodsia
  • Specialized
9.9

A thin fern from northern North America with chestnut stalks and divided leaves

A state in northern Cyprus that declared independence and is recognized only by Turkey

How Northern

northernmost
9 3.4
northerly
2 2.6
northern
  • US
301 2.0
central
993 1.0
southern
  • US
655 2.0

Surface Forms

northern positive

Morphology

northern = north (transparent) = north + ern

Regular derivation from 'north' to denote association with the northern region; culturally specific uses remain predictable from the base.

Etymology

Northern comes from north + -ern meaning 'related to', so it names the part of a country that is 'in the north' or the people and things from that area. That is why Northern can describe the region, culture, or politics of a country's north.