inward

1 of 3

adjective

in·​ward ˈin-wərd 

1

: situated on the inside : inner

2

a

: of or relating to the mind or spirit

inward peace

b

: absorbed in one's own mental or spiritual life : introspective

3

: marked by close acquaintance : familiar

4

: directed toward the interior

inward

2 of 3

adverb

in·​ward ˈin-wərd 

variants or inwards

ˈin-wərdz 

1

: toward the inside, center, or interior

2

: toward the inner being

inward

3 of 3

noun

1

: something that is inward

2

inwards ˈin-ərdz  -wərdz  plural : innards

Synonyms of inward

Adjective

• inner
• interior
• internal

Noun

• inside(s)
• viscera
• innards
• gut
• entrails
• vitals
• bowel(s)
• intestine(s)

Examples of inward in a Sentence

Adjective

moved towards the inward room for more privacy

he's more inward with the president than most members of the cabinet

Adverb

The window faces inward toward the courtyard.

He turned his attention inward.

Noun

the hunter cleaned the deer by slicing open the belly and removing the inwards

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Young closes with a loose rendering of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, recasting the progression from hell to Paradise as an inward struggle to cope with irrevocable loss. —The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025

Mars enters Capricorn just as the sun nears your shadow sector, initiating a six-week inward journey. —Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 28 Nov. 2025

Adverb

Rather than instructing children to look outside of themselves to a world filled with cruelty and injustice, we are encouraged to turn inward, to the self, and then smaller still, to the womb of one’s discontent. —Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025

Cosmic winds unleashed NGC 3783’s black hole sits inside an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) — a chaotic zone where material spirals inward, magnetic fields snap and twist, and jets of high-energy particles tear outward. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Dec. 2025

Noun

The riflebird’s plumage owes its deep, velvety black coloration not just to pigment, but also to its microscopic structure, which involves tightly packed barbules that deflect light inwards, absorbing nearly all of it. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025

The Fame silhouette features a narrow squared toe and a curved heel with a slight inward slant. —Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English inweard (akin to Old High German inwert), from in + -weard -ward entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

inward

1 of 2 adjective

in·​ward ˈin-wərd 

1

: situated on the inside : inner

2

: of or relating to the mind or spirit

an inward peace

3

: directed toward the interior

an inward flow

inward

2 of 2 adverb

variants or inwards

ˈin-wərdz 

1

: toward the inside, center, or interior

2

: toward the mind or spirit