northwards

N1O1R1T1H4W4A1R1D2S1

adverb

northward; in a northerly direction

Similar
northnortherlynorthward
Opposite
southwards
OriginEnglish north ← Middle English north ← Old English norþ →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

adverbnorthwards (not comparable)
  1. not comparablenorthward; in a northerly direction

    In 1903, I had adventured, for the first time, northwards, and it really was the North, as my objective was the Great North of Scotland Railway.

    1957 July 28, M. D. Greville, “A Diamond Jubilee of Railway Memories”, in Railway Magazine, page 459

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
southwards

adverbin a northern direction

Similar
northnortherlynorthward
Also see
northnortherlynorthward

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*nér
  2. Proto-Indo-European*nŕ̥t(e)ros
  3. Proto-Germanic*nurþraz
  4. Proto-West Germanic*norþr
  5. Old Englishnorþ
  6. Middle Englishnorth
  7. Englishnorth
  8. Englishnorthwards

From north + -wards.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

northwards. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/northwards

MLA

“northwards.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/northwards. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “northwards,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/northwards.

Source: northwards on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.