onward

American  

[on-werd, awn-] / ˈɒn wərd, ˈɔn- /

adverb

1. toward a point ahead or in front; forward, as in space or time.

   Antonyms:

   backward

2. at a position or point in advance.

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adjective

1. directed or moving onward or forward; forward.

   Antonyms:

   backward

onward British  

/ ˈɒnwəd /

adjective

1. directed or moving forwards, onwards, etc

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adverb

1. a variant of onwards

Usage

What does onward mean? Onward means about the same thing as forward—toward a point ahead or in the future. It can be used in the context of travel through physical space or through time, but it is perhaps most commonly used when discussing progress toward a goal. Onward can be used as either an adverb or an adjective. When used as an adverb, onward typically comes after the verb, as in We traveled onward. When onward is used as an adverb, it is interchangeable with onwards (which is only used as an adverb). It can be used to refer to all the time after a certain point, as in These records are from 1950 onward. It can also be used as a kind of command or word of encouragement meaning something like move on, as in Onward, scouts! We need to reach camp before nightfall. Onward appears in the phrase onward and upward, which is usually used in the context of progress or success. Example: If we don’t keep moving onward and innovating, we’ll never be able to compete in this market.

Synonym Usage

See forward.

Etymology

Origin of onward

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at on, -ward

Example Sentences

However, he said Ubisoft would emerge with a stronger pipeline and better financials from fiscal 2028 onward.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

"I'm not particularly worried there will be much onward spread of hantavirus," Jennifer Nuzzo, a professor of epidemiology at Brown University in the United States, wrote on Bluesky.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Working from home exploded in 2020, dropped from 2021 to 2023 and then from 2024 onward has been flat, indicating that the study’s finding still holds, said Nicholas Bloom, one of the authors.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Verizon closed its acquisition of Frontier, a fiber operator, earlier this year, and results from this unit are reflected in Verizon’s financials from Jan. 20 onward.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

The robots plodded onward with a pace that never varied and with footsteps that never lengthened.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov