Definition of ADJACENT (original) (raw)
1
a
: not distant : nearby
the city and adjacent suburbs
b
: having a common [endpoint](/dictionary/end point) or border
adjacent sides of a triangle
c
: immediately preceding or following
2
of two angles : having the vertex and one side in common
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for adjacent
a house with an adjacent garage
adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.
had adjoining rooms at the hotel
contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side.
offices in all 48 contiguous states
juxtaposed means placed side by side especially so as to permit comparison and contrast.
a skyscraper juxtaposed to a church
Examples of adjacent in a Sentence
The Harrimans owned two large adjacent houses on N Street, one for themselves and one for Averell Harriman's pictures. —
Larry McMurtry, New York Times Review of Books, 23 Oct. 2003 Hearing unexpected chords was linked to magnetic activity in a left-brain region known as Broca's area and in adjacent right-brain tissue. —Bruce Bower, Science News, 5 May 2001 The hallways, especially those adjacent to the satellite phone, were crowded with journalists, avid to cover the Taliban takeover … —Michael Ignatieff, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 1997 Digging further in that spot and five adjacent areas, they retrieved 19 skulls, five eggs, over 150 jaws and hundreds of teeth, limbs and bone bits. —Natalie Angier, Time, 8 Oct. 1984
their house is adjacent to a wooded park
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 360-acre preserve adjacent to the LEC and Deltona Regional Library is home to a variety of wildlife, including Florida scrub jays and gopher tortoises, which are drawn to the low vegetation and sandy ridges of the scrub habitat. —Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025 Scott County officials will also be at the meeting to provide information about the adjacent Highway 169/Bluff Drive overpass project in Sand Creek Township. —Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025 On Monday, there was also adjacent drama around Spanish football — as Real Madrid railed against refereeing standards in Spain and La Liga president Javier Tebas and the Spanish federation hit back. —Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025 That’s adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and north-northeast of the Nantahala National Forest. —Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for adjacent 
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French agisaunt, adjesant, borrowed from Latin adjacent-, adjacens, present participle of adjacēre "to lie near, border on," from ad- ad- + jacēre "to lie," stative derivative from the base of jacere "to throw" — more at jet entry 3
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of adjacent was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near adjacent
Cite this Entry
“Adjacent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjacent. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 11 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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