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⬇️ Facing south 🧭 Toward south 💨 A south wind
southerly

southerly

1 2.1
Toward the south
  • adverb
  • /ˈsʌðərli/
translation icon : hacia el sur
  • The cold front is moving in a southerly direction, bringing warmer temperatures.

Examples

  • It's moving sort of in a, a southerly direction as well, right?

  • When the wind is southerly, they snapped at him, "I know a hawk from a heronshaw."

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The wind also shifted from southerly to westerly (not shown).

    Blog text (31)

  • Variable winds, ten fo 15 knofs this afternoon, becoming southerly, fen fo 20 knofs...

    Pink Narcissus (1971)

  • The occupied sites were characterized by wet (water year precipitation over 292 mm) and cold (minimum July temperature under 8.8 °C) climates and were mostly located on aspects not southerly or easterly.

    Academic text (2017)

  • We noticed the wind shifted to a southerly breeze as we approached the coast.

  • The hikers planned their route to head southerly through the mountain range.

Synonyms

south
vssoutherly
645 1.0

Toward the bottom of a map

also includes movement both toward and away from that compass point
southern
vssoutherly
480 1.0

Located in or coming from the south

focuses on direction or movement rather than location or region
to the south
vssoutherly
69 1.0

In the direction of the south

also can mean movement coming from that compass point
due south
vssoutherly
8 2.3

Directly toward the south on a compass

is about a general direction not an exact compass bearing
southward
vssoutherly
3 1.9

Facing or moving toward the south

can mean either toward or coming from that cardinal direction
southbound
vssoutherly
3 2.1

Moving toward the south, often describing vehicles or routes

is a general term for movement not limited to vehicles

Surface Forms

southerly positive

Morphology

southerly = south (transparent) = south + erly

Adverbial meaning formed from 'south' with '-erly' to indicate direction toward or from the south.

Etymology

Southerly as an adverb is formed from south and the ending -ly to mean 'toward the south'. So when you travel or move southerly, you are going toward the south.