upwards

English

Etymology

From Middle English upwardes, from Old English upweardes, equivalent to up +‎ -wards. Cognate with Dutch opwaarts (“upwards”), German aufwärts (“upwards”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈʌpwədz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈʌpwɚdz/

Adverb

upwards (not comparable)

1. Towards a (higher) position closer to the sky than the ground.

   look upwards

   push upwards

   soar upwards

   The balloon drifted upwards into the sky.

   • 1958 April, “Diesel Railbus for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 275:

     The underframe also carries four bonded-rubber mountings, focused upwards and inwards towards the centre of gravity to suspend the body shell.

2. To a higher figure or amount.

   Prices are moving steadily upwards.

3. Towards something which is higher in order, larger, superior etc.
4. Backwards in time, into the past.
5. To or into later life.

Synonyms

• upward, up

Antonyms

• downward, down

Derived terms

• bottom-upwards
• fail upwards
• onwards and upwards
• punch upwards
• upward of
• upwards of

Translations

to a higher position

Azerbaijani: yuxarı (az) Belarusian: (direction) наве́рх (navjérx), уве́рх (uvjérx), ўверх (wvjerx); (location) наве́рсе (navjérsje), уве́рсе (uvjérsje), ўве́рсе (wvjérsje) Dutch: opwaarts (nl) Estonian: üles (et) Faroese: niðaneftir, uppeftir Finnish: ylös (fi), ylemmäs, ylemmäksi, ylöspäin (fi) French: en haut (fr) Georgian: მაღლა (maɣla), ზემოთ (zemot), ზევით (zevit) German: aufwärts (de), nach oben, hoch (de) Alemannic German: obsi Gothic: 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup) Greek: Ancient: ἄνω (ánō) Irish: aníos, suas Latin: sūrsum Ottoman Turkish: یوقاری (yukarı) Polish: w górę (pl), wzwyż (pl) Portuguese: para cima Romanian: în sus, la deal Romansch: si (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan), sen, se (Sutsilvan, Surmiran), sü (Puter, Vallader) Russian: вверх (ru) (vverx), ввысь (ru) (vvysʹ) Scottish Gaelic: a-nìos Slovene: gôr (sl), navzgor (sl) Spanish: hacia arriba, arriba (es) Swedish: uppför (sv), uppåt (sv) Ukrainian: вверх (uk) (vverx)

to a higher amount

Finnish: ylöspäin (fi), ylös (fi), korkeammaksi Portuguese: para cima Russian: вы́ше (ru) (výše)

to something superior

Dutch: hoger (nl) Finnish: ylöspäin (fi)

to the past

Finnish: taemmas, taemmaksi

to later life

Finnish: myöhemmäs, myöhemmäksi

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: (please verify) supren (eo)

Anagrams

• draw-ups, draws up, updraws