inwardly

[ in-werd-lee ]
See synonyms for inwardly on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in or on, or with reference to, the inside or inner part; internally.

  2. privately; secretly: Inwardly, he disliked his guest.

  1. within the self; mentally or spiritually: Look inwardly to discover the truth.

  2. in low or soft tones; not aloud.

  3. toward the inside, interior, or center.

Origin of inwardly

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English inwardli, Old English inweardlīce; see inward, -ly

Words Nearby inwardly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inwardly in a sentence

  • I remember looking at Anat and thanking her inwardly for being brave enough to do what so many women in Israel would not.

    Cash, But Not Criticism | Sigal Samuel | October 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • And it's a fair bet that Romney inwardly agrees with his economists more than his base.

  • He cursed himself inwardly for a fool and a dolt—the more pitiable because he accounted himself cunning above others.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • He knew it was a handkerchief, and smiled inwardly as he wondered what Tom Hardy would say if he could see him now.

    The Cromptons | Mary J. Holmes
  • Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

    His Last Week | William E. Barton
  • In this she differed from others of her sect, who strove to convey the idea of humility both outwardly and inwardly.

    Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
  • In the autumn of 1863, after a visit to Apukhtin, Tchaikovsky returned to Petersburg, externally and inwardly a changed man.

British Dictionary definitions for inwardly

inwardly

/ (ˈɪnwədlɪ) /


adverb
  1. within the private thoughts or feelings; secretly: inwardly troubled, he kept smiling

  2. not aloud: to laugh inwardly

  1. with reference to the inside or inner part; internally

  2. archaic intimately; essentially: the most inwardly concerned of the plotters

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012