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Showing results for inward. Search instead for Againward.
Synonyms

inward

American  
[in-werd] / ˈɪn wərd /

adverb

  1. toward the inside, interior, or center, as of a place, space, or body.

  2. into or toward the mind or soul.

    He turned his thoughts inward.

  3. Obsolete.

    1. on the inside or interior.

    2. in the mind or soul; mentally or spiritually.

adjective

  1. proceeding or directed toward the inside or interior.

  2. situated within or in or on the inside; inner; internal.

    an inward room.

  3. pertaining to the inside or inner part.

  4. located within the body.

    the inward parts.

  5. pertaining to the inside of the body.

    inward convulsions.

  6. inland.

    inward passage.

  7. mental or spiritual; inner.

    inward peace.

  8. muffled or indistinct, as the voice.

  9. private or secret.

  10. closely personal; intimate.

  11. Archaic. pertaining to the homeland; domestic.

noun

  1. the inward or internal part; the inside.

  2. inwards, the inward parts of the body; entrails; innards.

inward British  
/ ˈɪnwəd /

adjective

  1. going or directed towards the middle of or into something

  2. situated within; inside

  3. of, relating to, or existing in the mind or spirit

    inward meditation

  4. of one's own country or a specific country

    inward investment
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. a variant of inwards

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the inward part; inside

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • inwardness noun

Etymology

Origin of inward

before 900; Middle English; Old English inweard. See in, -ward

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To call him a good loser is simply untrue—though from what we can tell the bitterness was always directed inward.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

While McIlroy was travelling on one of golf's most dramatic rollercoaster rides, Rose slotted putt after putt, especially on the inward half.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

While many people in your position might solely be looking inward, you are also looking the opposite direction.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Long seen as a philosophical counterpoint to “2001,” the film turns isolation inward, where the danger isn’t running out of resources but being unable to escape yourself.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

We had our outward lives, but now there was something inward happening, a baby growing, a tiny girl.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.