WESTERN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Western mean? 

• WESTERN (noun)
  The noun WESTERN has 2 senses:

1. a film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development

2. a sandwich made from a western omelet

  Familiarity information: WESTERN used as a noun is rare.

• WESTERN (adjective)
  The adjective WESTERN has 4 senses:

1. relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts

2. of or characteristic of regions of the United States west of the Mississippi River

3. lying toward or situated in the west

4. of wind; from the west

  Familiarity information: WESTERN used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WESTERN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

horse opera; Western

Hypernyms ("Western" is a kind of...):

feature; feature film (the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "Western"):

spaghetti Western (a low-budget Western movie produced by a European (especially an Italian) film company)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sandwich made from a western omelet

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

western; western sandwich

Hypernyms ("western" is a kind of...):

sandwich (two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them)

• WESTERN (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts

Context example:

western thought

Similar:

Hesperian; occidental (denoting or characteristic of countries of Europe and the western hemisphere)

Attribute:

Occident; West (the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America)

Antonym:

eastern (relating to or characteristic of regions of eastern parts of the world)

Derivation:

westernize (make western in character)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or characteristic of regions of the United States west of the Mississippi River

Context example:

a Western ranch

Similar:

southwestern (of a region of the United States generally including New Mexico; Arizona; Texas; California; and sometimes Nevada; Utah; Colorado)

midwestern (of a region of the United States generally including Ohio; Indiana; Illinois; Iowa; Missouri; Kansas; Nebraska; and sometimes Michigan; Wisconsin; Minnesota)

northwestern (of a region of the United States generally including Washington; Oregon; Idaho; and sometimes Montana; Wyoming)

west-central (of a region of the United States usually including Colorado; Nevada; Utah)

Attribute:

West; western United States (the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River)

Antonym:

eastern (of or characteristic of eastern regions of the United States)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Lying toward or situated in the west

Context example:

our company's western office

Similar:

west (situated in or facing or moving toward the west)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Of wind; from the west

Synonyms:

westerly; western

Similar:

west (situated in or facing or moving toward the west)

 Context examples 

The most common gastric polyp in the Western hemisphere.

(Fundic Gland Polyp, NCI Thesaurus)

It occurs mostly in central and western Africa.

(Monkeypox Virus Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The researchers used a unique modeling system to study the effects of earlier snowmelt across various regions of the western U.S.

(Earlier snowmelt decreases streamflow, reduces forests' ability to regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide, NSF)

Far in the western hemisphere, scientists on NASA’s New Horizons mission have discovered what looks like a giant “bite mark” on Pluto’s surface.

(What’s Eating at Pluto?, NASA)

Medical substance or procedure in the process of becoming accepted by orthodox western medicine.

(Alternative Medicine, Indirect, NCI Thesaurus)

The Center has partnerships with Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, and MetroHealth Medical Center; and became an NCI-designated cancer center in 1987.

(Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

It is more frequently seen in populations with a Western type diet and in patients with a history of chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

(Cecum Adenocarcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Many of the flights imaged the Andean volcanic belt located in western South America.

(NASA airborne research focuses on Andean volcanoes, NASA)

The cloud-masses on the western horizon received the descending sun, and the circle of the sky turned to rose, while the zenith glowed with the same warm color.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Includes: Acupuncture and oriental medicine; Traditional Indigenous Systems; Unconventional Western systems; and Naturopathy.

(Alternative Medical System, NCI Thesaurus)