inward
UK/ˈɪnwəd//ˈɪnwɚd/
inward adjective: situated on the inside; that is within, inner; belonging to the inside.
Adjective
inward (comparative more inward, superlative most inward)
- Situated on the inside; that is within, inner; belonging to the inside.
- Not superficially obvious, inner, not expressed, especially relating to mental or spiritual faculties as opposed to external ones.
- Noble and milde this Perſean ſeemes to be,
If outward habit Iudge the inward man.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...
- Noble and milde this Perſean ſeemes to be,
- Moving or tending toward the inside.
- Synonyms:
- introitive
- Not directed toward the outside world, and thus quiet or indistinct.
- Synonyms:
- faint
- Internal to a particular place or country; not foreign, domestic.
- Synonyms:
- home, inland, intranational
- Secret, private, kept hidden.
- Coming from one’s inmost or sincerest feelings; heartfelt, earnest.
- Intimate, closely acquainted; familiar, close.
- There is nothing can be added unto the daintinesse of Fulvius wives death, who was so inward with Augustus.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 3, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
- All my inward friends abhorred me.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 19:19
- Devoted to spiritual matters, pious, devout.
- Synonyms:
- devoutful, heavenly-minded, piteous, Allah-fearing, devout, frum, godfearing, godly, observant, pious
- Tame.
- Synonyms:
- docile, domesticated
- Internal; applied through the stomach by being swallowed.
Adverb
inward (not comparable)
- Towards the inside.
- Towards one’s mind, thoughts, or internal self.
- So much the rather, thou Celestial Light, / Shine inward.1667, John Milton, “Book III”, 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...
- You also may experience feelings of guilt, which is anger turned inward on yourself.2005, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler, On Grief and Grieving, →ISBN, page 16
- On the inside, within, inside.
- In one’s mind, thoughts, or internal self.
- Towards home.
Noun
inward (plural inwards)
- That which is inward or within; the inner parts or organs of the body; the viscera.
- [T]his man is a servant of the eyes of men, and offers parchment or a white skin in sacrifice, but the flesh and the inwards he leaves to be consumed by a stranger fire.1653, “Twenty-five Sermons Preached at Golden Grove; Being for the Winter Half-year, […]: Sermon XII. Of Lukewarmness and Zeal; or, Spiritual Fervour. Part I.”, in Reginald Heber, editor, The Whole...
- Then sacrificing, laid the inwards and their fat.1667, John Milton, “Book X”, 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...
- The mental faculties or other characteristics not immediately apparent.
- A familiar friend or acquaintance.
- I was an inward of his.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
inward meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam
inward in Tamil
- உட்புறமான, உள்நோக்கிய, மனத்திலுள்ள, உண்முகமான
inward in Urdu
- اندرونی, باطنی, داخلی, دماغی
inward in Bengali
- অভ্যন্তরীণ, ভিতরের দিকে, মানসিক
inward in Malayalam
- അകത്തെ, ഉള്ളിലുള്ള, അകത്തോട്ടുള്ള
More languagesFewer languages
- inward in Kannada
- ಒಳಗೆ oḷage
Examples of inward in a sentence
- He had had occasion, by one very inward with him, to know in part the discourse of his life.a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors...
- By this logic, it makes more sense to turn inward than to make oneself vulnerable, to nihilistically maxx rather than actually encounter the other.2026 March 3, Christine Emba, “The Reason Gen Z Isn’t Dating”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 03 Mar 2026:
Synonyms of inward
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of inward
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more inward |
| superlative | most inward |
| Noun | |
| plural | inwards |
Origin of inward
From Middle English inward, from Old English inweard, corresponding to in + -ward.
Words formed from inward
Questions about inward
- What does inward mean?
- Inward means situated on the inside; that is within, inner; belonging to the inside.
- What is inward in Tamil?
- Inward in Tamil is உட்புறமான, உள்நோக்கிய, மனத்திலுள்ள. See Inward meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use inward in a sentence?
- He had had occasion, by one very inward with him, to know in part the discourse of his life.
- What part of speech is inward?
- Inward can be an adjective, an adverb or a noun.
- How do you pronounce inward?
- Inward is pronounced /ˈɪnwəd/ (UK).
Words near inward in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: inward (page history and authors); inward (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); inward (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Inward (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); inward (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ಒಳಗೆ (Kannada) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-inward.ogg.
Cite this entry: “inward.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/inward. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.