Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| occidental | /oɡθidenˈtal/ /oɡsidenˈtal/ |
| oesteño | /oesˈteɲo/ |
The adjective 'western' is used to describe things pertaining to the west. In a geopolitical or cultural sense, such as referring to Western civilization or Western Europe, occidental is the standard term. For the film genre known as a 'western', Spanish speakers typically use the English loanword western.
Which one should you use?
Use occidental when discussing Western culture, civilization or specific geopolitical regions like Western Europe. The word oesteño is also an option for the adjective. Note that while occidental is the adjective, the noun used to refer to 'the West' as a direction or region is el oeste.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, poniente is an alternative term used to designate the westward direction. In Spain, oeste can sometimes serve as a substitute for 'western' in certain contexts.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/oɡθidenˈtal/
Did you know?
- The word occidental comes from the Latin occidēns, which literally means 'setting', referring to the place where the sun sets.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, el poniente is used not just for direction, but as a poetic way to describe the evening or the end of a life cycle.
- If you are discussing the specific subgenre of western movies filmed in Europe with Italian casts, Spanish speakers call them espagueti western.
Examples in context
- Francia está en Europa Occidental.France is in western Europe.This sentence is useful for mentioning France in the context of Western Europe using occidental.Tatoeba #637467 by clerval, translation #34175 by CK
- Irlanda está en Europa occidental.Ireland is in Western Europe.This sentence shows the use of occidental when locating Ireland in Western Europe.Tatoeba #10051360 by manufrutos, translation #10050078 by sakslane
- Francia es un país de Europa Occidental.France is a Western European country.This sentence demonstrates how to describe France as a Western European country using occidental.Tatoeba #3138216 by marcelostockle, translation #4637349 by lawka
- El mundo occidentalWestern world
- película del oesteWestern movie
- música occidentalWestern music
- Me encanta ver películas del oeste.I love watching western movies.
- La música occidental es muy popular en mi país.Western music is very popular in my country.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are discussing art history in a cafe.
- Mateo¿Te gusta la cultura occidental?Do you like Western culture?
- ElenaSí, me interesa mucho la historia occidental.Yes, I am very interested in Western history.
- MateoElena, el arte occidental es fascinante.Elena, Western art is fascinating.
- ElenaTienes razón, Mateo.You are right, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “western” translations and entries occidental, oesteño, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries occidental, oesteño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
