1 outward | Definition of outward

outward

adjective
out·​ward | \ ˈau̇t-wərd How to pronounce outward (audio) \

Definition of outward

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 : moving, directed, or turned toward the outside or away from a center an outward flow
2 : situated on the outside : exterior
3 : of or relating to the body or to appearances rather than to the mind or the inner life outward beauty
4 : external

outward

adverb
out·​ward | \ ˈau̇t-wərd How to pronounce outward (audio) \
variants: or outwards \ ˈau̇t-​wərdz How to pronounce outwards (audio) \

Definition of outward (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : toward the outside
2 obsolete : on the outside : externally

outward

noun

Definition of outward (Entry 3 of 3)

: external form, appearance, or reality

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Synonyms & Antonyms for outward

Synonyms: Adjective

exterior, external, outer, outside

Synonyms: Noun

appearance, face, guise, name, seeming, semblance, show

Antonyms: Adjective

inner, inside, interior, internal, inward

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Examples of outward in a Sentence

Adjective

They showed no outward signs of fear, but they must have been afraid. She was waiting for some outward expression of his love. To all outward appearances, their marriage was quite normal. outward symptoms of the disease The outward migration of people from the city has hurt the city's economy greatly. He made a slight outward movement with his right hand.

Adverb

The window faces outward toward the street. Stand with your heels together, toes pointing outward. air flowing outwards from the lungs

Noun

never was there in a man such a fine, heroic outward and such a cowardly interior
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The kind of ideology that seemed to rage against football’s military-industrial complex, but an outward personality that pleased all the gatekeepers. Conor Orr, SI.com, "Andrew Luck Stuns the Football World, Walks Away at Age 29," 24 Aug. 2019 Rodriguez gives an achingly beautiful performance, fully expressing the range of Ernie's private anxieties and outward hopefulness. Author: Hank Stuever, Anchorage Daily News, "Review: We’re buying what Kirsten Dunst is selling in ‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’," 22 Aug. 2019 Rodriguez gives an achingly beautiful performance, fully expressing the range of Ernie’s private anxieties and outward hopefulness. Hank Stuever, Washington Post, "We’re buying what Kirsten Dunst is selling in ‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’," 22 Aug. 2019 In fact, there isn’t any outward indication on the vaguely industrial cement facade that Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 campaign operation hums away on the other side of the glass doors. Victoria Mcgrane, BostonGlobe.com, "Running a presidential campaign by the books," 19 Aug. 2019 His frustration is mounting in more outward ways, complete with three bat slams on Friday after unsuccessful at-bats. Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros give slumping Josh Reddick day off against A's," 17 Aug. 2019 But pro-density development plans that limit the outward growth of urban areas to avoid destroying natural landscape should be a crucial, first step. Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "To combat climate change, cities need to tackle sprawl," 8 Aug. 2019 The generally accepted speed limit for black hole growth is called the Eddington rate, a balance between the outward force of radiation and the inward force of gravity. Meredith Fore, WIRED, "Where Do Supermassive Black Holes Come From?," 18 July 2019 During the outward trip south, against the flow of the river, the bark was pulled by other boats and by people on the riverbanks. National Geographic, "Egypt’s pharaohs welcomed summer with this fabulous festival," 25 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Hurricane-force winds, though, currently extend up to 25 miles outward from the storm’s center. Chris Morris, Fortune, "Dorian Now 1 mph Shy of Being a ‘Major Hurricane’ as Storm Inches Towards Florida," 30 Aug. 2019 That's because by cutting down trees, moisture that would cool the air is lost and the warmer air rises to the upper atmosphere, creating ripples that flow outward and can alter the climate of other regions. NBC News, "How the Amazon's fires, deforestation affect the U.S. Midwest," 23 Aug. 2019 The complex gold chain draws the eye upward and outward from the concentrated energy of the pendant to a final oval pair of small opals. Barrymore Laurence Scherer, WSJ, "‘Boston Made: Arts and Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork’ Review: All That Glitters," 28 Nov. 2018 The tropical hardwood trees likely died after being engulfed by the searing hot, gale-force winds containing the volcanic gases, ash, and pumice that would have swept outward after the eruption. Katherine Kornei, Science | AAAS, "‘Mystery’ volcano that cooled the ancient world traced to El Salvador," 16 Aug. 2019 Parallel parking takes up more horizontal space than angling cars outward toward the street, leading to an approximately 30% loss of parking in the conversion, Calvert said. Lila Seidman, Glendale News-Press, "Proposed Glendale streetcar rolls into focus," 6 Aug. 2019 Canada has taken a similar approach, outlining the Lomonosov Ridge from its shores outward, stopping just beyond the North Pole and overlapping Russia's outline in that region. Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, "Nations Claim Large Overlapping Sections of Arctic Seafloor," 23 July 2019 The cells here are outward facing, opening toward exterior walls. Susan Glaser, cleveland.com, "‘Shawshank’ 25th anniversary: How movie redeemed Mansfield’s notorious Ohio State Reformatory," 21 July 2019 The north German tribe of proto-Indo-Europeans, Kossinna argued, had moved outward and dominated an area that stretched most of the way to Moscow. Andrew Curry, National Geographic, "The first Europeans weren’t who you might think," 12 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Though most of the structure is perfectly plumb, the great columns at the center of the cathedral were built ever-so-slightly outwards, and the choir doesn't align exactly with the nave. Andrew Tallon, National Geographic, "Historian uses lasers to unlock mysteries of Gothic cathedrals," 16 Apr. 2019 Yet Muggah said that while overall there have been fewer incidents and deaths in recent years, terrorism is also spreading outwards. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "Global terrorism is in decline. For victims, it doesn't feel like it," 6 July 2019 The rose dresses at the end of the Fall 2019 show are all one piece of fabric that is molded together and then explodes outwards. Steff Yotka, Vogue, "“I Really Feel Quite Lucky”—Sarah Burton Reflects on Her Magical Career at Alexander McQueen," 30 May 2019 These monitors are attached to a network of cameras facing outwards in all directions from the ship. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "This Frigate's Combat Information Center Is Straight Out of 'Star Trek'," 29 May 2019 With nothing but unusable attic space above the bedroom, Ross decided to expand upwards—not outwards—by installing a tray ceiling. Emma Bazilian, House Beautiful, "How Installing a Tray Ceiling Can Totally Transform a Room," 22 Mar. 2019 The National Hurricane Center said the hurricane’s peak winds have decreased slightly to 125 mph but the size of the wind field has increased to outwards of 70 miles from the center.. Fox News, "Hurricane Florence, 'storm of a lifetime,' generating 83-foot high waves as it barrels towards Carolina coast," 13 Sep. 2018 Roll the remaining pizza ball flat, working from the center outwards. Nancy Miller, The Courier-Journal, "Ciao Ristorante is Italian food with the ultimate Sicilian twist," 3 July 2018 Regularly rubbing your eyes vigorously also puts you at risk for an eye condition called keratoconus, which causes your corneas to become thin and bulge outwards, according to the Mayo Clinic. Korin Miller, SELF, "6 Mistakes You're Making With Your Eyes," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outward.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of outward

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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