Word.ws English Dictionary

rearward

Syllables: rear·ward/ˈɹɪəwɜːd/US/ˈɹiɹwɝd/

rearward noun: the part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up.

Noun

rearward (plural rearwards)

  1. The part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up.
    • Do not liue Hero, do not ope thine eies: / For did I thinke thou vvouldſt not quickly die / Thought I thy ſpirites vvere ſtronger than thy ſhames / My ſelfe would on the rerevvard of reproches / Strike at thy life.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act IV...
    • For, though it were a knowen corruption, and therefore ſhould haue beene auoyded; yet [Robert] Bellarmine in muſtering vp the Fathers authorities, for proofe of the reading, ipſa (the beſt ground of their Mariolatrie) brings in [John] Chryſoſtom in the rereward.1611, Thomas Iames [i.e., Thomas James], “The 32. Place Corrupted, in the 17. Homily of Chrys[ostom] vpon Gen[esis] To[me] 1. Pg. 97.”, in A Treatise of the Corrvption of Scripture, Councels, and...
  2. The last troop; the rear of an army; a rear guard.
    • Come in the rearward of a conquered woe1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 90”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC

Adjective

rearward (comparative more rearward, superlative most rearward)

  1. Toward the back or rear of something.
    • The rearward seats of the bus were unpleasantly close to the toilet facilities.
    • Unlike the earlier standard designs, in which the whole of the footplate was on the engine, fall plates are re-introduced and these are hinged from the front of the tender to rest on the rearward extension of the cab floor.1954 March, “New Class "9" 2-10-0 Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 166

Adverb

rearward

  1. Toward the back or rear of something.
    • The ensuing struggle was bitter but brief, as for a third time the Alabamians stumbled rearward through the cedars. If Manigault were to take the guns, he would need help.1991, Peter Cozzens, Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River, page 124
    Synonyms:
    rearwards

Synonyms of rearward

Forms of rearward

Noun
pluralrearwards
alternative formrereward
Adjective
comparativemore rearward
superlativemost rearward

Origin of rearward

From rear + -ward.

Words formed from rearward

Questions about rearward

What does rearward mean?
Rearward means the part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up.
What part of speech is rearward?
Rearward can be a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
How do you pronounce rearward?
Rearward is pronounced /ˈɹɪəwɜːd/ (UK).
What is the plural of rearward?
The plural of rearward is rearwards.

Words near rearward in the dictionary

  1. rearview camera
  2. rearview cameras
  3. rearview mirror
  4. rearview mirrors
  5. rearviews
  6. rearward
  7. rearwardly
  8. rearwardmost
  9. rearwardness
  10. rearwards
  11. reas

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rearward (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: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-rearward.wav.

Cite this entry: “rearward.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rearward. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.