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Glite Dictionary
⬆️ To a higher level ⏩ From a point on
upwards

upwards

56 1.0
Moves toward a higher place, level, or amount
  • adverb
  • /ˈʌp.wɚdz/
translation icon : hacia arriba
  • The balloon floated upwards into the sky, disappearing from view.
  • point upwards
  • gaze upwards
  • move upwards

And I just start from my jawline and I go upwards towards like my ear around here.

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Examples

  • Finally, when flying, wings deflect upwards due to the upwards lift force they create.

  • Some campuses have upwards of 500 student organizations with membership in the tens of thousands.

    Academic text (2004)

  • It's moving upwards this time.

    In Her Line of Fire (2006)

  • Then they find themselves being carried against their will upwards by the light, through a wall or window.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Inside, you must look upwards.

    The Brutalist (2024)

  • The old daughter looked upwards, while her blind mother looked down at the steps.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • We have little muscles that are pumping blood upwards towards the head.

  • Study participants took upwards of 10 seconds to complete the entire 100-mL task.

    Academic text (2011)

  • It's the worst damage the site has seen in years, and cleanup may cost upwards of $10,000.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The path leads upwards.

    The Suckling (1990)

Synonyms

up
vsupwards
∞ 1.0

In a higher place or moving to a higher level

focuses on movement toward higher levels or amounts more generally
upward
vsupwards
74 1.3

In a higher direction

is identical in meaning but differs mainly by word form
skyward
vsupwards
11 3.2

Pointing or moving up toward the sky

expresses general movement toward higher positions or amounts, not sky only

Antonyms

downwards
9 1.0

Toward a lower place, level, or position

Idioms

onwards and upwards
  • Informal
1 4.6

Shows that things get better after hard times

How High

skyward
1 3.2
upwards
56 1.0
horizontally
25 3.2
downwards
9 1.0

Surface Forms

upwards positive
upward positive

Morphology

upwards = (transparent) = up + wards

The meaning is directly derived from 'up' (higher) plus the directional suffix '-wards', yielding movement toward a higher position. [Postprocessing: moved 'up' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Upwards is simply up + -wards, where up means 'toward a higher place' and -wards means 'toward', just like in homeward. So upwards means moving or pointing 'toward' something higher, which is why we say a balloon drifted upwards or someone moved upwards in a job.