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The suffix –wards is used to mean “in the direction of,” either in time or space. It is often used in everyday and technical terms.

The form –wards comes from Old English –weardes, meaning “towards.”

What are variants of –wards?

The suffix –wards is more common in British English. In North American English, the variant –ward, as in toward, is more commonly used. Want to know more? Read our 51�Թ�s That Use article on –ward.

One example of a word that features the suffix –wards is downwards, or downward, “from a higher to a lower place, level, etc.”

The first part of the word indicates the direction. In this case, down– means “from higher to lower.” The suffix –wards means “toward” or “in the direction of.” Downwards literally means “in the down direction.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form –wards in Middle or Old English?

• afterwards
• forwards
• towards
• upwards
• westwards

What are some other forms that –wards may be commonly confused with?

• -ard
• -ware

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –ward or –wards, such as reward or coward, is necessarily using the combining form –ward to denote “direction.” Learn why coward means “lacking courage” at our entry for the word.

Given the meaning of the suffix –wards, what does upwards literally mean?