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 King riots, and the Central Park Five case, would shape his understanding of social reality from that moment onward.

From Salon

They intend to reach the Ukrainian border by Sunday and said they were trying to work out logistics and onward travel within the country itself.

From BBC

That could present a shift in the way theaters and studios cater to Gen Alpha, a key demographic born 2013 onward, to their future survival.

From Los Angeles Times

A UK government spokesperson said it was "working urgently" to support the "safe exit and onward travel to the UK" of the Chevening scholars.

From BBC

The tunnel would create a second route to transport water to the south side of the Delta, where pumps send it into the aqueducts of the State Water Project and onward to cities and farmland.

From Los Angeles Times

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.