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
adjoining definitely implies meeting and touching at some point or line.
had adjoining rooms at the hotel
contiguous implies having contact on all or most of one side.
offices in all 48 contiguous states
juxtaposed means placed side by side especially so as to permit comparison and contrast.
a skyscraper juxtaposed to a church
Examples of adjoining in a Sentence
the cows had broken through the fence and were grazing in the adjoining field
Recent Examples on the WebAmong them is the adjoining Grumeti Game Reserve, a 350,000-acre sprawl on the Serengeti's western wildlife corridor, where safari stalwart Singita has pitched up a constellation of camps and lodges.—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 As the two defendants were brought to courtrooms for their initial pre-trial hearings, detectives made arrangements for them to be held in adjoining cells prior to the hearings.—Greg Fisher, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 One of them is Humphreys Half Moon Inn and its adjoining marina.—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Every 2021-23 drill hole except one of the 44 drill holes successfully completed at the California and the adjoining California Norte targets has intersected near surface, oxidized gold mineralization with minor copper values.—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 At the meeting, city staff and design consultants will discuss different development concepts and alternatives with community members and solicit input and suggestions about Old Town, the marina and adjoining neighborhoods.—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 The Xcel Center opened in 2000, and together with the adjoining RiverCentre convention hall hosts events 130 nights per year.—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2024 Meanwhile, Latinos concentrated their efforts in the Eastside and its adjoining suburbs, which effectively isolated Latino political power until the election of Antonio Villaraigosa as mayor in 2005.—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Explosives had also shattered an adjoining convent where nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, care for Gazans with disabilities.—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adjoining.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English adjoynyng, from present participle of adjoynen "to adjoin"
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