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Glite Dictionary
↖️ Toward northwest 🧭 Northwest direction
northwestward

northwestward

1 3.1
The direction halfway between north and west on a compass
  • noun
  • /nɔrθˈwɛstwərd/
: noroeste
  • On the compass, 315 degrees points to the northwestward.

Examples

  • A strong wind was blowing from the northwestward all afternoon.

  • The explorers set their course toward the northwestward to reach the base camp.

  • The boat sailed northwestward across the lake.

  • We headed northwestward to reach the mountain range.

  • The hikers followed the trail in a northwestward direction to reach the summit of the mountain.

  • She pointed northwestward when asked which way the campsite was located.

  • The map indicated that the next town lay northwestward from their current position.

Synonyms

NW
vsnorthwestward
32 2.3

The direction halfway between north and west on a map

is the full directional form rather than the short letter version
northwest
vsnorthwestward
  • Specialized
22 1.0

The compass direction halfway between north and west

refers only to the compass direction not to the wider region
nor'-west
vsnorthwestward
  • Archaic
8.6

The compass point halfway between north and west

is the modern spelling without hyphen or contraction

Surface Forms

northwestward singular
northwestwards plural

Morphology

northwestward = northwest (transparent) = north + west + ward

The noun sense is formed by adding the directional suffix '-ward' to the common noun 'northwest', producing the meaning 'the direction toward northwest'.

Etymology

Northwestward is formed from north, west, and the part -ward, which means 'toward', like in forward. As a noun, northwestward names the direction halfway between north and west.