western
Noun pluralwesterns
Pluralwesterns
- 1Lying in, facing toward, or having to do with the west.
The western provinces receive far more rainfall than the rest of the country.
She bought a house on the western slope of the valley.
UsageUsually before a noun: the western slope, the western provinces. The place farthest west is the westernmost.
- 2Of, relating to, or characteristic of the cultures of Europe and the Americas, in contrast to those of Asia; Occidental.
Western philosophy traces many of its roots to ancient Greece.
The museum compares western and eastern approaches to portraiture.
Similaroccidental
Oppositeeastern
- 3A film, novel, or other story set in the American West of about 1850 to 1910, centered on frontier conflicts such as lawmen against outlaws or ranchers against farmers.
The director's latest western follows a retired sheriff hunting a gang of cattle thieves.
Classic westerns often pit struggling homesteaders against powerful railroad companies.
Note
Film and television people also use horse opera and oater for the same genre. Both point to the horses at the center of so many of these stories (and the oats they eat), while horse opera adds a wink at their melodrama.
- 4Belonging to or modeled on the cowboy and ranching life of the American West, particularly in dress, horsemanship, or music.
The store sells western boots, belt buckles, and wide-brimmed hats.
She switched from an English saddle to a western one when she started working cattle.
Note
In riding, western is set against English: two styles of horsemanship with their own equipment. The western saddle is larger and heavier, usually with a horn at the front, built for long days working cattle, and the style grew out of the cowboy's working needs on the ranches. The same adjective covers the cowboy look in dress, as in western boots and wide-brimmed hats.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Western and English riding use different equipment. en.wikipedia.org
- Western saddles are larger and heavier than English saddles. en.wikipedia.org
- Western saddles usually have a horn at the front. en.wikipedia.org
- Western saddles were designed for long hours of cattle work. en.wikipedia.org
- Western riding developed to meet cowboys' working needs. en.wikipedia.org
- Western dress includes boots and wide-brimmed hats. en.wikipedia.org
Less common meaning
- 5Describing a wind or air current that blows from the west toward the east; westerly.
Steady western winds drove the sailing ships eastward across the bay.
All afternoon a cool western wind blew in off the Pacific, rattling the shutters of the beach houses.
UsageA western wind blows from the west, not toward it. Westerly means the same for winds.
Note
Wind names point backward: a western wind comes out of the west and travels east, the opposite of what the phrase might suggest. That reverses the logic of the plain directional meaning, where a western slope faces or lies toward the west.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of western apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
From Middle English westerne, from Old English westerne, going back to Proto-Germanic *westrōnijaz; it is essentially "west" plus the suffix -ern.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Western comes from Middle English westerne, from Old English westerne, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *westrōnijaz. en.wiktionary.org
- Western can be analysed as west plus the suffix -ern. en.wiktionary.org