variants or sternwards
as in backward
near, toward, or in the stern of a ship or the tail of an aircraft a flight attendant hurried sternward to attend to the disturbance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sternward
Adverb
  • The moment played out on Season 3 of The Traitors, when Sandoval and the other contestants braved a creepy cabin full of singing dolls and had to memorize and perform backwards nursery rhymes.
    Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • People who focus on looking backward instead of the path ahead have been known to trip themselves up.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • But even incremental progress would mark a break from a status quo that shields the powerful while leaving the rest behind.
    Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • But Liebman insists that the decision to move back into major metropolitan hubs like Manhattan has less to do with RTO and more to do with a fear of being left behind in an uncertain job market.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • Union Square, which was to be my neighborhood for the next twenty-five years, was off limits after dark back then.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • In a live video, Khan indicated that there is a rich history with the National Championship, extending back to the days of Georgia Wrestling, which Schiavone was associated with.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • Also of note is the Dusk Bar, which sits aft on Deck 10 and is stocked with interesting spirits.
    David Swanson, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2024
  • Open exterior decks forward and aft allow for a steady sea breeze, as the owner—who was last aboard his yacht in the summer of 2021—used to regularly enjoy.
    Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 10 Feb. 2023
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Sternward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sternward. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

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