onward

[on-werd, awn-]

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.

adjective

1. directed or moving onward or forward; forward.

   Antonyms: backward

onward

/ ˈɒnwəd /

adjective

1. directed or moving forwards, onwards, etc

adverb

1. a variant of onwards

Word History and Origins

Origin of onward¹

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

Synonym Study

See forward.

Example Sentences

The company started to use more recycled copper earlier this year in anticipation of potential U.S. tariffs on copper imports, and the shift accelerated from April onward, it said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A flurry of fans press onward toward Brookside, while some stop off at the venue’s restrooms, much more suited to modern standards than those in the lot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It intends to use the proceeds to meet future capital requirements, including onward lending and regulatory compliance on capital adequacy.

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This complex captures sunlight and splits water molecules, releasing oxygen and sending electrons onward to other molecules in the chain of energy transfer.

Read more on Science Daily

This adoration necessitated objectification, and from the 1970s onward, Updike’s fiction came in for a good deal of feminist scorn.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• onwards 

When To Use

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.