ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Word parts›Suffixes›-ward
SuffixOld English
-ward
turns a place or direction into a word showing movement or orientation that way
Old English -weard pointed a direction: travelers went homeward, glanced backward, then climbed upward while the road bent northward.
Words built from it
- inward — toward the inside
in (inside) + -ward (in the direction of) - outward — toward the outside
out (outside) + -ward (in the direction of) - upward — toward a higher place or level
up (higher) + -ward (in the direction of) - downward — toward a lower place or level
down (lower) + -ward (in the direction of) - homeward — toward home
home + -ward (in the direction of) - northward — toward the north
north + -ward (in the direction of) - backwards — toward the back or in reverse
back + -wards (in the direction of)
Looks like it, but is not
- coward — from Old French coart, built from 'tail' plus -ard, not directional -ward
Drill this word part in the app
More suffixes
- -ness — turns an adjective into a noun naming its state, condition, or quality
- -ology — turns a subject into the name of its study or body of knowledge
- -ous — turns a noun or root into an adjective meaning full of, having, or characterized by it
- -phobia/-phile — forms names for intense fears or aversions, or for people and feelings marked by strong fondness
- -tion/-sion — turns a verb into a noun naming an action, process, or result