ONWARD Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

onward

adverb

ˈȯn-wərd

variants also onwards

Definition of onward next

as in forward

toward a point ahead in space or time we must continue to move onward, or we will die in this desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

backward

as in along

toward or at a point lying in advance in space or time work on the project has been continuing onward at a steady pace

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 onward Footage from the site shows sewage erupting out of the ground into a typically dry part of the nearby canal and then onward into the Potomac. —

N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026 Upon inspection, the train continued onward, undamaged, sources said. —

Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026 In fact, from 1915 onward, historical fascism would require a variety of structural conditions in order to take shape in Mussolini’s Italy and then spread from Italy to the rest of Europe. —

Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026 The women ultimately moved onward, further away from the state border, and eventually reached Illinois. —

Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for onward

Recent Examples of Synonyms for onward

Adverb

Moving forward Through it all, Birdville basketball has become one of the premier programs in the Fort Worth area.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Feb. 2026
For now, Talarico is running for the Senate, becoming the latest in a line of buzzy Democrats put forward to pursue the Party’s increasingly elusive dream of winning a statewide election in Texas.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026