downward
Americanadverb
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Also downwards. from a higher to a lower place or condition.
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down from a source or beginning.
As the river flows downward, it widens.
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from a past time, predecessor, or ancestor.
The estate was handed downward from generation to generation.
adjective
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moving or tending to a lower place or condition.
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descending from a source or beginning.
adjective
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descending from a higher to a lower level, condition, position, etc
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descending from a beginning
adverb
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The widening spreads, if they persist, could narrow BDC interest margins and put downward pressure on dividends.
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
“The pressure to tighten policy over the coming weeks and months will build if the Middle East conflict intensifies and in particular if the rupee comes under further downward pressure,” Shah said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
A bear market takes its name from the way a bear attacks, swiping its paws downward, an apt image for falling prices.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
CDs can be a good choice for conservative money management, but interest rates are trending downward — you can currently find rates of up to 4.2%.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 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
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.
