upward

English

Etymology

From Old English upweardes, equivalent to up +‎ -ward.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʌpwɚd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʌpwəd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adverb

upward (not comparable)

1. In a direction from lower to higher; toward a higher place; in a course toward the source or origin.

   We ran upward.

   • [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     Looking inward, we are stricken dumb; looking upward, we speak and prevail.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.

2. In the upper parts; above.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Dagon his name, sea monster, upward man, / And downward fish.

3. Yet more; indefinitely more; above; over.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 1:3:

     From twenty years old and upward.

Synonyms

• cloudwards, up, upwards

Antonyms

• down, downwards

Derived terms

• fail upward
• onward and upward
• punch upward
• upward compatible
• upward-facing dog
• upward lightning
• upward mobility
• upward of
• upwards of
• upward spiral

Translations

toward an upper level

• Bulgarian: нагоре (bg) (nagore)
• Cornish: war-vann, yn-bann
• Estonian: üles (et)
• Finnish: ylös (fi), ylemmäs
• German: aufwärts (de)
• Hebrew: מַעְלָה (he) (má'la)
• Latin: sūrsum
• Māori: ki runga, whakarunga
• Plautdietsch: nopp
• Russian: вверх (ru) (vverx), кве́рху (ru) (kvérxu), ввысь (ru) (vvysʹ), наве́рх (ru) (navérx)
• Tocharian B: kauc

in the upper parts; above

• Bulgarian: нагоре (bg) (nagore)
• Finnish: ylhäällä (fi), ylempänä
• Russian: наверху́ (ru) (naverxú), вверху́ (ru) (vverxú)

yet more; above; over

• Bulgarian: отгоре (bg) (otgore)
• Finnish: ylöspäin (fi)
• Russian: вы́ше (ru) (výše), свы́ше (ru) (svýše)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} kabbareng

Noun

upward (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) The upper part; the top.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:

     From the extremest upward of thy head.

Adjective

upward (comparative more upward, superlative most upward)

1. Directed toward a higher place.

   with upward eye; with upward course

   • 2024 March, Angus Deaton, “Rethinking My Economics”, in F&D Magazine‎^[1]:

     […] economists should focus on efficiency and leave equity to others, to politicians or administrators. But the others regularly fail to materialize, so that when efficiency comes with upward redistribution—frequently though not inevitably—our recommendations become little more than a license for plunder.

Synonyms

• (toward a higher place): cloudward

Translations

moving up, directed toward a higher place

• Bulgarian: насочен нагоре (nasočen nagore), нагорен (bg) (nagoren)
• Finnish: ylös suuntaava
• Māori: whakarunga, ki runga
• Russian: поднима́ющийся (ru) (podnimájuščijsja), восходя́щий (ru) (vosxodjáščij)

Anagrams

• draw up, draw-up, updraw