ENGLISH
REFERENCE

westerly

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈwɛstɝɫi// UK //wˈɛstəli// west·er·ly

adj. coming from the west, especially when talking about the wind. You use this to describe the direction a breeze or storm is moving from.

adj. situated towards or moving from the west. Often used to describe prevailing winds or weather patterns; typically precedes the noun it modifies.


SIMPLE

A strong westerly wind blew across the coast.

CONTEXTUAL

The sailors adjusted their course to account for the steady westerly breeze pushing them toward the shore.

COMPLEX

Meteorologists predicted that the arrival of a cold westerly front would bring significant rainfall to the valley by early Tuesday morning.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

Typically used as an adjective before a noun, though it can function as an adverb meaning 'towards the west'.

Pitfall

a westerly direction to the seaa westerly directionWesterly already implies 'from' or 'towards' the west; adding extra directional prepositions can be redundant.

© 2026 English Reference