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Contiguous vs Adjacent - What's the difference?

contiguous | adjacent |

Adjacent is a synonym of contiguous.



As adjectives the difference between contiguous and adjacent

is that contiguous is connected; touching; abutting while adjacent is lying next to, close, or contiguous; neighboring; bordering on.

As a noun adjacent is

something that lies next to something else, especially the side of a right triangle that is neither the hypotenuse nor the opposite.

As a preposition adjacent is

next to; adjacent to; beside.

contiguous

English

Adjective

(-)
  • connected; touching; abutting
  • adjacent; neighbouring/neighboring
  • * 1730–1774 , , Introductory to Switzerland
    • Though poor the peasant’s hut, his feasts though small,
    He sees his little lot the lot of all;
    Sees no contiguous palace rear its head
    To shame the meanness of his humble shed;
  • * 1835 , William Scoresby, Memorials of the Sea (page 59)
    • the usual quietness of the day, with us, was broken in upon by the shout of success from the pursuing boats, followed by vehement respondings from the contiguous ship.
  • connecting without a break
    • The forty-eight contiguous states.
  • * 1886 , Frank Hamilton Cushing, A Study of Pueblo Pottery as Illustrative of Zuñi Culture Growth :
    • Supposing three such houses to be contiguous to a central one, each separated from the latter by a straight wall.

    Related terms

    * contiguity

    Derived terms

    * contiguousness

    See also

    * conterminous

    References

    * *

    adjacent

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Lying next to, close, or contiguous; neighboring; bordering on.
    • Because the conference room is filled, we will have our meeting in the adjacent room.
  • Just before, after, or facing.
    • The picture is on the adjacent page .

    Synonyms

    * (lying next to) abutting, adjoining, contiguous, juxtaposed, near

    Antonyms

    * (lying next to) apart, distant, nonadjacent

    Related terms

    * adjacency * adjacently

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something that lies next to something else, especially the side of a right triangle that is neither the hypotenuse nor the opposite.
  • * 1980 , Faber Birren, The textile colorist
    • Again, the key colors have twice the area of the adjacents .
  • * 2011 , Mark Zegarelli, ACT Math For Dummies (page 194)
    • Picking out the opposite, the adjacent , and the hypotenuse

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • (US) Next to; adjacent to; beside.
    • ----