Synonym Chooser

How is the word contiguous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of contiguous are adjacent, adjoining, and juxtaposed. While all these words mean "being in close proximity," contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side.

offices in all 48 contiguous states

When might adjacent be a better fit than contiguous?

While in some cases nearly identical to contiguous, adjacent may or may not imply contact but always implies absence of anything of the same kind in between.

a house with an adjacent garage

When can adjoining be used instead of contiguous?

While the synonyms adjoining and contiguous are close in meaning, adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.

had adjoining rooms at the hotel

When would juxtaposed be a good substitute for contiguous?

The words juxtaposed and contiguous can be used in similar contexts, but juxtaposed means placed side by side especially so as to permit comparison and contrast.

a skyscraper juxtaposed to a church

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of contiguous Players from schools in the contiguous SEC states and the former Confederacy vs. players from everywhere else. Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025 This middle-level targeting should be combined with a more careful sequencing of law enforcement operations, coupled with advance deployment of law enforcement forces, to weaken the cartels’ influence in an expanding ring of contiguous territories. Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025 About 500 miles from Washington, its closest U.S. neighbor, Alaska isn’t the easiest destination to reach from the contiguous states, but these images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest prove why a trip is worth the effort. Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025 Intrastate flights outside the contiguous United States were excluded. Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contiguous

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Cite this Entry

“Contiguous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contiguous. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on contiguous

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