Upwards

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈʌpwədz/

Definitions

1. Moving or directed from a lower point to a higher one, typically in a vertical or inclined manner
2. Indicating an increase or rise in position, amount, or degree moving higher than a starting point
3. Going from below towards a higher place, level, or status often signifying improvement or growth

Etymology: Upwards is a compound of two plain English parts, "up" and the suffix "-wards," and its history is mostly the history of that suffix. The "-wards" ending comes from the Old English "-weard," meaning "turned toward," the same element found in "toward" and "backward." Old English speakers often combined "up" with "-weardes" (the adverbial form of that suffix) to mean "in the direction of up," and the compound passed into Middle English as "upwardes." The word has close relatives in other Germanic languages. Dutch "opwaarts" and German "aufwärts" are built on the same pattern, so the idea of turning in a direction was shared across the family long before English settled on its own spelling. Over time English dropped the final "-es" from the older form, leaving the shorter "upwards" we use today, while American English often prefers "upward" without the "-s."

Synonyms: upward, ascending

Antonyms: downwards, descending