Inwarding

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The action or process of moving or turning toward the inside or center; the act of focusing attention or feelings within oneself; the tendency to become more private or introspective
2. A movement directed toward an inner part or core; the inward shift of thoughts or emotions; a change toward a more introverted or self-reflective state
3. The state of directing physical motion or mental focus inward; the process of concentrating on internal thoughts or sensations; an inclination toward solitude or inner contemplation

Etymology: "Inwarding" is formed from the adverb "inward" plus the suffix "-ing," which turns a verb or adverb into a noun or participle. "Inward" itself is an Old English compound of "in" and "-weard," the latter meaning "toward" (the same ending found in "homeward" and "upward"). So the word's literal sense is simply "a going toward the inside," and its English roots are entirely native rather than borrowed from Latin or French. The "-ing" noun form is the part that needs care. "Inwarding" is a rare, mostly literary and technical-leaning formation. Its verbal sense, "to move inward," follows the pattern of many English verbs built on directional adverbs, while the noun sense "a movement inward" is a later extension of the same pattern. Dictionaries record it sparingly, so its attested history is thin, and its use in the sense of an inner shift of thought or feeling is largely a figurative stretch of the physical meaning rather than a separately documented development.

Synonyms: inward movement, introversion

Antonyms: outwarding, extroversion