contiguous

12 synonyms and 6 antonyms for contiguous, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Sharing a common border, or touching along an edge, so that there is no gap in between.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

immediate continuous

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

adjoining bordering adjacent neighboring consecutive successive

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

abutting neighbouring conterminous unbroken

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adjective

Sharing a common border, or touching along an edge, so that there is no gap in between.

“Ohio is contiguous with Pennsylvania.”

adjoining abutting bordering adjacent neighbouring conterminous neighboring immediate

Opposites

separate detached non-contiguous disjoint

2. adjective

Following one another without a break in a sequence of time or space.

“Staff must take at least ten contiguous days of leave each year.”

consecutive successive unbroken continuous

Opposites

fragmented intermittent

How to use contiguous

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

contiguous states contiguous zone contiguous memory contiguous with contiguous border

Formal or technical. Common in geography, law, computing and property description.

Etymology

From Latin contiguus 'touching, bordering', from contingere 'to touch, to be in contact', formed from con- 'together' and tangere 'to touch'.

Full origin of contiguous →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between contiguous and adjacent?

Contiguous things actually touch along a shared boundary, whereas adjacent things are merely near or next to each other and may have a gap between them. Two houses separated by a lane are adjacent but not contiguous.

What is the difference between contiguous and continuous?

Continuous means uninterrupted in itself, while contiguous means touching another thing. A single unbroken fence is continuous; two fences meeting end to end are contiguous.

What are the contiguous United States?

They are the 48 states that share land borders with one another, plus the District of Columbia, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. The term is preferred over 'continental' because Alaska is also on the North American continent.

People also searched

separate immediate continuous consecutive adjacent successive neighboring detached adjoining bordering fragmented intermittent

Nearby words

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