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⬇️ Facing south 🧭 Toward south 💨 A south wind
southerly

southerly

5 2.8
In, facing, or moving toward the south
  • adjective
  • /ˈsʌðərli/
translation icon : del sur
  • We've been advised to take a southerly course.
  • more southerly
  • southerly route
  • the most southerly

So now you've got right there, you've got a southerly direction defined right there for you by the pole.

Examples

  • Meteorologists predict that the southerly winds will bring warmer temperatures this weekend.

  • The centaur traveled all night in a southerly direction.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • But it heads in a southerly direction, and that is what matters.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Our course is southerly, beloved.

    Sinbad the Sailor (1947)

  • As the high shifts east, our winds become more southerly Thursday and Friday.

    Blog text (11)

  • After a layover in Frankfurt, he traveled on in a southerly direction.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Most vessels bound for India and the Far East sailed on a southerly route and did not call at Madagascar.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Heavy dark clouds accompany the southerly wind, and it soon becomes a gale, while the clouds discharge torrents of rain.

    Academic text (1994)

  • It's clear with 10 miles visibility and light, southerly winds," Sammy spoke excitedly, realizing that the cargo would most likely reach its destination on time.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • This was a fast-moving little system coming out of the jet stream, down from Canada, colliding with the warm, southerly flow we've been experiencing.

    Snow Day (2000)

Synonyms

southern
vssoutherly
480 1.0

Located in or coming from the south

is about direction, place, or wind rather than regional belonging
south
vssoutherly
81 1.0

On the bottom side of a map or building

adds use for winds and general directional sense beyond location
to the south
vssoutherly
69 1.0

In the direction of the south

is broader, also applying to position and weather from that direction
due south
vssoutherly
8 2.3

Directly toward the south on a compass

is less precise, covering general direction, position, movement, or wind
southward
vssoutherly
3 1.9

Facing or moving toward the south

covers both being located there and coming from it, not only movement
southbound
vssoutherly
3 2.1

Moving toward the south, often describing vehicles or routes

is more general, applying to location, facing, or winds as well

Surface Forms

southerly positive

Morphology

southerly = south (transparent) = south + erly

Formed directly from 'south' with the adjectival/adverbial suffix '-erly', meaning 'of or toward the south'.

Etymology

Southerly comes from the old English word south, meaning 'the south', plus the ending -ly that turns it into a direction or quality. So southerly describes something that is in, facing, or moving toward the south.