downward 1 of 2

as in bowed
directed down fishermen keep watch for the downward plunge of seabirds diving for food

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

downward

2 of 2

adverb

variants or downwards
as in down
toward or in a lower position at this point the river flows gently downward to the sea

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downward
Adjective
And this week two further datasets raised eyebrows, including a whopping downward revision of 911,000 jobs from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ nonfarm payroll reporting for the year ended March 2025. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025 This despite the big downward revision to estimates of job growth from April 2024 through March 2025, a somewhat greater change than most benchmark-revision exercises but consistent with other signs of a low-metabolism job market. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
What to know about crime in Chicago Crime in Chicago has been trending mostly downward since the early 1990s, according to a review of Chicago Police Department annual crime reports. Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, expectations for a comfortable retirement have shifted downward, according to research by Northwestern Mutual. Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for downward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downward
Adjective
  • No racist stereotypes, no demeaning facial expressions, no bowed heads, and no broken bodies from the old Hollywood.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • The composer also added synths to his orchestral score, as well as bowed metal, where a violin bow is rubbed against metal instruments like a cowbell or a Vibraphone, for when Roz has a particularly intense feeling.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • On fourth down, Chargers quarterback Corin Berry evaded multiple Corona del Mar tacklers and scrambled for positive yardage, but was tackled short of the first down by Scott Anderson to give the Sea Kings the ball to close out the game.
    Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
  • On the crucial fourth down, Mission Bay handed the ball to Jevyn Higman, who’d bounced it to the outside for a 43-yard score.
    Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Most commonly that’s expressed as a shrinking number of cable viewers and the lowered subscription and ad revenue that comes with it.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
  • And a meta-analysis of 196 scientific articles published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2023 found that people who did moderate-intensity physical activity like walking fast for 11 minutes a day had a lowered risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and several forms of cancer.
    Korin Miller, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Downward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downward. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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