Master confusing words with ease
Conterminous vs. Contiguous
Conterminous
Examples:
The two states are conterminous, sharing a long border.Their fields are conterminous, meeting at the old stone wall.Conterminous areas often benefit from mutual trade agreements.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Contiguous
/kənˈtɪɡjʊəs/Examples:
The investor holds several contiguous plots of land.The two countries share a contiguous border along the river.Contiguous files on the disk improve reading speed.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Conterminous refers to sharing a boundary within a single entity, like a country with itself.
- Contiguous means touching or sharing a boundary more generally, like states or regions that are adjacent.
- Conterminous often implies being contained within a common boundary, emphasizing a single unit or entity.
- Contiguous typically focuses on the aspect of physical adjacency without implying a single boundary.
- Think of conterminous as being co-terminus with, indicating shared limits, while contiguous emphasizes physical touching or connection.
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