downward

American  

[doun-werd] / ˈdaʊn wərd /

adverb

1. Also downwards. from a higher to a lower place or condition.

2. down from a source or beginning.

   As the river flows downward, it widens.

3. from a past time, predecessor, or ancestor.

   The estate was handed downward from generation to generation.

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adjective

1. moving or tending to a lower place or condition.

2. descending from a source or beginning.

downward British  

/ ˈdaʊnwəd /

adjective

1. descending from a higher to a lower level, condition, position, etc

2. descending from a beginning

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adverb

1. a variant of downwards

Other Word Forms

• downwardly adverb
• downwardness noun

Etymology

Origin of downward

1150–1200; Middle English dounward, aphetic variant of adounward, Old English adūnweard. See down ¹, -ward

Example Sentences

The dollar remained lower after U.S. data showed an unexpected downward revision in fourth-quarter economic growth and higher-than-forecast weekly jobless claims.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“This includes meaningfully reducing capacity growth, with a downward bias until the fuel environment improves, and moving quickly to recapture higher fuel costs.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Although widely recognized as perhaps the greatest golfer of all time, Woods, 50, has been in a downward spiral personally and professionally for years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Knife crime continued a downward trend in 2025, with offences down by 9% on the year prior and pre-Covid levels, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics in January.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Roz kept expecting the seabed to slope downward, into the deep, but the shallow sea stretched on and on.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• descending
• downwards