inward

[in-werd]

adverb

1. toward the inside, interior, or center, as of a place, space, or body.

2. into or toward the mind or soul.

   He turned his thoughts inward.

3. Obsolete.

   1. on the inside or interior.

   2. in the mind or soul; mentally or spiritually.

adjective

1. proceeding or directed toward the inside or interior.

2. situated within or in or on the inside; inner; internal.

   an inward room.

3. pertaining to the inside or inner part.

4. located within the body.

   the inward parts.

5. pertaining to the inside of the body.

   inward convulsions.

6. inland.

   inward passage.

7. mental or spiritual; inner.

   inward peace.

8. muffled or indistinct, as the voice.

9. private or secret.

10. closely personal; intimate.

11. Archaic.,  pertaining to the homeland; domestic.

noun

1. the inward or internal part; the inside.

2. inwards, the inward parts of the body; entrails; innards.

inward

/ ˈɪnwəd /

adjective

1. going or directed towards the middle of or into something

2. situated within; inside

3. of, relating to, or existing in the mind or spirit

   inward meditation

4. of one's own country or a specific country

   inward investment

adverb

1. a variant of inwards

noun

1. the inward part; inside

Other Word Forms

• inwardness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inward¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English inweard. See in, -ward

Example Sentences

As Earth's metallic core formed, elements such as iron and molybdenum migrated inward and became concentrated there, leaving the mantle with much lower amounts.

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Under normal conditions, this region stretches far from Earth, but the May storm forced its outer edge inward from about 44,000 km above the surface to only 9,600 km.

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The Roman poet Prudentius took the struggle inward, into “the cave of the breast.”

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The statues are placed in different directions, equidistant from one another, and facing inward toward the center of the office.

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Throughout its life, a star keeps a stable spherical shape because gravity pulls inward while pressure from nuclear fusion pushes outward.

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Related Words

• inbound