adjective

contiguous

kuhn-TIG-yoo-uhs

Contiguous (adjective) means sharing a common border, or touching along an edge, so that there is no gap in between. Example: “Ohio is contiguous with Pennsylvania.”

adjective

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

"Ohio is contiguous with Pennsylvania."

"The farm is made up of four contiguous fields."

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."

"The file is stored in contiguous blocks on the disk."

How to Use Contiguous

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTouching, with nothing in between.

When to use it

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

Memory tip

Contiguous and contagious look alike but are unrelated — contagious means spreading by contact, as with a disease.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

continuous → adjacent → contagious → conterminous

Common pairings

contiguous states contiguous zone contiguous memory contiguous with contiguous border

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Ohio is _____ with Pennsylvania.

Etymology

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

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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adjoining abutting bordering adjacent neighbouring consecutive successive unbroken continuous

Antonyms

separate detached non-contiguous disjoint fragmented intermittent

Related Words

part next near independent choose separate digital removed

Rhymes for contiguous

yous nous pious joyous heinous ominous curious anxious copious tenuous tedious spurious

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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.

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