“Adjacent” vs. “Adjoining”: What’s the Difference?

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The difference between “adjacent” and “adjoining”

  • Adjacent refers to things that are close to each other without necessarily sharing a common boundary or connection, while adjoining implies a physical connection or shared boundary.
  • Adjacent spaces can be separated by other objects or spaces, while adjoining spaces are always connected or share a boundary.
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What is the definition of “adjacent” and “adjoining”?

Adjacent
  • Something that is next to or close to another thing, but they do not share a common boundary or surface.
  • The distance between two adjacent things can vary greatly and may be separated by other objects or spaces.
  • Adjacent often implies a spatial or physical relationship between two things, such as houses or buildings.
Adjoining
  • Something that is physically connected to or sharing a common boundary or surface with another thing.
  • Adjoining spaces are often connected, such as rooms in a house or apartments in a building.
  • Adjoining can also refer to things that are related or associated in some way, such as adjoining businesses or properties owned by the same person.

Which is the more popular variant on the Internet?

“Adjacent” is the more popular variant on the web.
More popular
Adjacent
476,000,000 results on the web
Examples
  1. The two buildings are adjacent to each other.
  2. The adjacent rooms share a common wall.
  3. The playground is adjacent to the school building.
Adjoining
61,700,000 results on the web
Examples
  1. My bedroom is adjoining the bathroom.
  2. The two parks are adjoining each other.
  3. The adjoining conference room is reserved for the meeting.
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