Southeastern means located in, coming from, or relating to the southeast part of a place. The southeast is the direction halfway between south and east.

When meteorologists talk about a southeastern wind, they mean wind blowing from the southeast. The southeastern United States includes states like Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. These states share certain features: warm, humid weather; a history shaped by cotton plantations and the Civil War; and cultural traditions like barbecue and blues music.

You can use southeastern to describe any region. The southeastern corner of your playground is the part toward the bottom-right if you're looking at a map with north at the top. A town in southeastern France sits near both Italy and the Mediterranean Sea.

The word helps us be specific about location. Instead of saying “the south part, but also kind of the east part,” we can simply say southeastern. It's particularly useful when describing large areas like states, countries, or continents, where being precise about direction matters for understanding climate, geography, and culture.