Upward Meaning
/ˈʌpwɚd/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
advIn a direction from lower to higher; toward a higher place; in a course toward the source or origin.
advIn the upper parts; above.
Sentence Examples
The smoke went upward through the chimney.
The kite went upward.
The party tickets go for ten dollars and upward.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hot air balloon rose slowly ____, climbing higher above the trees.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The trend in the global market is ____, as investor confidence continues to grow week after week today.
Word Origin & History
From Old English upweardes, equivalent to up + -ward.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Looking inward, we are stricken dumb; looking upward, we speak and prevail."
— [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
"If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"Dagon his name, sea monster, upward man, / And downward fish."
— 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
"From twenty years old and upward."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 1:3:
"From the extremest upward of thy head."
— c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hot air balloon rose slowly ____, climbing higher above the trees.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The trend in the global market is ____, as investor confidence continues to grow week after week today.