downward

1 of 2

adverb

down·​ward ˈdau̇n-wərd How to pronounce downward (audio)
variants or downwards
1
a
: from a higher to a lower place
b
: toward a direction that is the opposite of up
2
: from a higher to a lower condition
3
a
: from an earlier time
b
: from an ancestor or predecessor

downward

2 of 2

adjective

1
: moving or extending downward
2
: descending from a head, origin, or source
downwardly adverb
downwardness noun

Examples of downward in a Sentence

Adverb The mountain streams flow downward to the lake. Mud covered his pants from the knees downward. Adjective Sales continued their downward trend. the downward revision of an estimate
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Divorce rates have been steadily trending downward in the United States, according to recent data, but marriages ending are still a common, disruptive experience. Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 Clubbed fingers—when fingers become swollen and nails turn downward—are a symptom of a heart infection or heart disease. Carey Rossi, Health, 17 Mar. 2024 Firefighters arrived and found a large portion of the hillside had shifted downward, threatening at least three homes and heavily damaging another under construction. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 On a screen, images of Jonas in the garb of a belly dancer or wearing a headdress or various other costumes appear on a monitor fleetingly, seemingly trapped in squares that keep rolling downward, as if demanding those watching to be conscious of the effort of perception. Susan Dominus Emiliano Granado, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Some of the antennas that the lander is designed to use to communicate with Earth, however, are pointed downward, which limits the mission’s ability to transmit data. Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024 The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for January showed that job openings, hiring activity, quits and layoffs all moved downward. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Numerous council members insisted during Tuesday’s meeting that the passage of Secure D.C. was only one piece of the work to bring down crime, which has trended downward in the early part of this year, and that the work depended, too, on other partners from police to prosecutors. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 As of early February, Callahan said that Rudy’s blood lead levels are trending downward, now at 5.7 micrograms. Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024
Adjective
This downward trend was compounded by the overlapping work stoppages, which effectively shut down filming across the United States for six months. Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Looking on a year-to-year basis the downward trend is all the more obvious. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 But a similar downward trend in youth well-being is also seen in Canada, which ranked 15th overall but 58th among young people this year. Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 However, this downward trend is mostly seen in older adults. Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 To reverse that downward trend, Horne asked the Legislature to increase teacher salaries. Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 That general downward trend applies to virtually all American institutions. Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 Powell said again that high interest rates are putting downward pressure on the economy to get inflation under control. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 The trend has been downward for 10 years, the surveys show. The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

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

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of downward was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near downward

Cite this Entry

“Downward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downward. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

downward

1 of 2 adverb
down·​ward ˈdau̇n-wərd How to pronounce downward (audio)
variants or downwards
1
: from a higher place or condition to a lower one
2
: from an earlier time

downward

2 of 2 adjective
: moving or reaching down

Legal Definition

downward

1 of 2 adjective
down·​ward
: going from a higher to a lower level
a downward departure from the sentencing guidelines

downward

2 of 2 adverb
: from a higher to a lower level
instead of following the sentencing guidelines, the court departed downward

More from Merriam-Webster on downward

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