downward
Americanadverb
-
Also downwards. from a higher to a lower place or condition.
-
down from a source or beginning.
As the river flows downward, it widens.
-
from a past time, predecessor, or ancestor.
The estate was handed downward from generation to generation.
adjective
-
moving or tending to a lower place or condition.
-
descending from a source or beginning.
adjective
-
descending from a higher to a lower level, condition, position, etc
-
descending from a beginning
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of downward
1150–1200; Middle English dounward, aphetic variant of adounward, Old English adūnweard. See down 1, -ward
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These downward adjustments to Meta’s earnings likely mark a “trough-cycle EPS,” according to Gawrelski.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The financial sector continued its downward slide, bringing its overall slump from a recent peak in May 2025 to 129,000.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Tracking predictions for the film’s debut have steadily trended downward and settled between $15 million and $19 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Crime increased during the pandemic, but the downward trend in the 21st century has since resumed, and the 2026 homicide rate is on pace to reach a historic low.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Annabeth recalled the landscape she’d seen while they fell—a series of plateaus leading ever downward into the gloom.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
