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as in backward
directed, turned, or done toward the back
the tearful girl gave a rearward glance to her younger brother as she was being led down the street for her first day at school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also rearwards
as in back
toward the rear
turned rearward for a moment, just for one final look at the haunting scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rearward
Jim Carmichel, Outdoor Life, 5 June 2025
Tugging the stick rearward triggers manual upshifts, with a forward flick for downshifts, akin to motorsport gearboxes.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2025
New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
Each is wrapped in graceful exterior lines and curves that sweep rearward from a massive hood that evokes a classic Jaguar XKE from the 1960’s.
—Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2023
Behind this, the Batur's long hood gives apparent proof that even fully electric Bentleys will keep the brand's distinctive cab-rearward stance.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 21 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for rearward
Adjective
The trail gave way, and my horse toppled over in a twisting, rearward somersault.
—Jim Carmichel, Outdoor Life, 5 June 2025
Tugging the stick rearward triggers manual upshifts, with a forward flick for downshifts, akin to motorsport gearboxes.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2025
Adverb
When moved rearward, the driver-side mattress folds and the front part of the bed base telescopes inside the larger rear section so the dinette can be expanded and used comfortably up front.
—New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
Each is wrapped in graceful exterior lines and curves that sweep rearward from a massive hood that evokes a classic Jaguar XKE from the 1960’s.
—Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
To get the shape just right, Mansory stripped the chassis down completely, removed all four of the standard doors, shifted the B-pillar rearward to make room for the new set and moved the hinges back a pillar.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2023
Behind this, the Batur's long hood gives apparent proof that even fully electric Bentleys will keep the brand's distinctive cab-rearward stance.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 21 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for rearward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rearward
Adjective
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With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror and the playoffs beginning to enter the conversation, this Week 12 matchup against a 2025 playoff team will be an important measuring stick in front of a national television audience.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Reeves also posted a GIF of Johansson looking in a car’s rear-view mirror.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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There's no reason to go with the worm, let alone a backward one.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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The creature-feature horror film plunges into the jungles of the Dominican Republic, where a group of road workers battling brutal conditions encounter the Ciguapa — a terrifying figure from local folklore with backward feet and the power to possess men through her gaze.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Adverb
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This did happen one morning and the camp staff of 8 jumped in and collectively replaced the pipework and got the water back on within 30 minutes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2025, the Lone Star tick’s geographic spread extended all along the Eastern Seaboard, from Florida through central Texas in the south, up to the lower reaches of South Dakota and back across to Maine.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
Noun
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No pattern enacted on these buttons will safely land a four-hundred-ton jetliner, flaring and bouncing and settling heavily onto its twenty-two wheels while the spoilers on the wings snap up and the jets scream in reverse and the passengers sigh in relief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
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China is now doing the same thing in reverse—not an outright ban, but a government permission slip requirement that achieves roughly the same effect.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rearward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rearward. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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