landward

American  

[land-werd] / ˈlænd wərd /

adverb

1. Also landwards. toward the land or interior.

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adjective

1. lying, facing, or tending toward the land or away from the coast.

2. being in the direction of the land.

   a landward breeze.

landward British  

/ ˈlændwəd /

adjective

1. lying, facing, or moving towards land

2. in the direction of the land

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adverb

1. a variant of landwards

Etymology

Origin of landward

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at land, -ward

Example Sentences

Rural communities are left with little choice but to also retreat landward.

From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023

Warming oceans also lead to increased precipitation as more moisture-saturated air moves landward.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023

Hundreds of years ago, a tsunami slammed into the northern Chilean coast—a wall of water 20 meters high, taller than a six-story building, that swept boulders landward like pebbles.

From Scientific American • Mar. 1, 2023

To prevent their erosion, these marshes could be established on the landward side of an existing dike by building a second dike farther back.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 29, 2020

But at the mouth of the harbor where it opened out to the sea a heavy wind blowing landward struck them and they could make no headway against it.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton