-ward

Suffix meaning toward

A suffix meaning "in the direction of" or "toward," attached to nouns and adverbs to form directional words: homeward, skyward, northward, backward, afterward.

The variant -wards is interchangeable in most cases, though -ward is more common in American English and -wards in British: toward versus towards, backward versus backwards.

tendency

inclination

Disposition toward something

leaningTendency toward something
tendencyInclination toward a behavior
movementChange in position

orientation · progression · heading · bound · drift · trend · course · aim · trajectory · bearing

guardianship

warden

Supervisory custodian of place

guardianProtective caretaker of another
stewardManager for another
warderPrison security staff

custodian · keeper · protector · sentinel · safeguard · overseer · caretaker · watchman · guard · defender

direction

cityward

Toward urban center

hitherTo this place

Categories

suffixes-ing, -ed, -er, -ly, -ful
morphemesmorpheme, affix, prefix, suffix, infix
Adjective Suffixes-able, -ful, -ible, -ish, -less

Opposites

directional orientation

Not in proximity to

Family

ward, wards, warded, warding, toward, towards, inward, inwards, outward

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G