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Glite Dictionary
👀 Toward the back 🚶 Back position ⬅️ At the back
rearward

rearward

1 7.4
In a direction toward the back
  • adverb
  • /ˈrɪrˌwərd/
translation icon : hacia atrás
  • The car skidded rearward after hitting the patch of ice on the road.
  • moved rearward
  • point rearward
  • anchor rearward

Examples

  • Politicians drive the ship of state by looking rearward and reacting to the world not so much as it is, but as it was.

    Academic text (1993)

  • As there is less weight on the front castors, the user's center of gravity shifts rearward, causing greater instability.

    Academic text (1994)

  • He twists and turns the car, glancing rearward for pursuit.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • He fiddled with them, and quiet motors eased him rearward and reclined his backrest.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • During the parade, the crowd shifted rearward to make space for the marching band.

  • He looked rearward to check if anyone was following him.

Synonyms

back
vsrearward
∞ 1.0

Toward the rear of something

is the general term for movement toward what lies behind
behind
vsrearward
179 1.0

At the back of someone or something

is the more general directional term for movement toward the back
aft
vsrearward
  • Specialized
51 7.0

Near the back of a ship or the tail of a plane

is the general directional word not tied to craft parts
backward
vsrearward
16 1.0

Facing the back

is the simple directional expression for movement toward what is behind
retrograde
vsrearward
2 7.9

Moving backward or against the usual direction

is the neutral term for simple movement toward what is behind
posteriorly
vsrearward
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Toward the back of a person or thing

is the common directional word used for the same movement
retral
vsrearward
9.9

At or toward the back of something

is the general directional term rather than a positional adjective
tailward
vsrearward
7.3

Toward the back end of an animal or object

is broader, applying to direction toward the back in any context
sternward
vsrearward
  • Specialized
8.1

Toward the back of a ship or boat

is the general direction term not limited to vessels
retrogradely
vsrearward
  • Specialized
9.2

Moving backward along the usual flow, for example in blood or nerves

is the everyday directional word without technical implication

Antonyms

forward
176 1.0

Near the front in the direction someone faces or moves

frontward
4.7

Toward the front of something

Surface Forms

rearward positive
rearwards positive

Morphology

rearward = rear (transparent) = rear + ward

The adverbial sense is derived by adding '-ward' to 'rear' to express direction, a regular and transparent pattern.

Etymology

Rearward as an adverb comes from rear 'back' plus -ward 'toward', the same parts you see in forward, so it simply means 'toward the back'.