downward

[ doun-werd ]

adverb

1. Also downwards. 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.

adjective

1. moving or tending to a lower place or condition.
2. descending from a source or beginning.

downward

/ ˈdaʊnwəd /

adjective

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

adverb

1. a variant of downwards

Derived Forms

• ˈdownwardly, adverb
• ˈdownwardness, noun

Other Words From

• downward·ly adverb
• downward·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of downward¹

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

Example Sentences

“I’m hopeful the downward trend in positive cases means that we can start shifting our focus on reopening things and less on enforcement,” he said.

From Voice of San Diego

The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to turn emissions downward.

From Washington Post

In theory, those policies should also help ease the burden to families of raising children, thus slowing the downward spiral in the nation’s birth rate.

From Fortune

For a country whose economy has been on a downward slope since demonetisation in 2016, India’s management of the pandemic proved to be the final nail in the coffin.

From Quartz

Be aware there is some visual distortion with these lenses when looking downward.

From Popular-Science

The now-convicted felons will hear their sentences in January, but their story continues to spiral downward.

From The Daily Beast

This downward spiral involving local power politics was obvious to the Americans in the valley.

From The Daily Beast

To his fellow survivors and to the audience, this delusion indicates another slip on a downward spiral.

From The Daily Beast

All of these rules grew organically from the community rather than being dictated downward by a cen­tral authority.

From The Daily Beast

The number of families who struggle to put food on the table has barely inched downward, even though employment is up.

From The Daily Beast

Now here was a lover's meeting, not lacking the shy, downward glance of dark eyes as steel-blue eyes flashed frank admiration.

From Project Gutenberg

Their path here separated, Mrs. Martin following the downward course of the sandy lane, and Dorothy climbing the hill.

From Project Gutenberg

One swift downward thrust Garnache made at the mass that wriggled under his cloak.

From Project Gutenberg

Rising to a point where it cools, the vapour gathers back on the rafts and tends again to weight the cloud downward.

From Project Gutenberg

When they start downward they have, as observations show, a temperature not much above the freezing point of salt water.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• descending
• downwards