inward

[in-werd] /ˈɪn wərd/
adverb, Also, inwards
1.
toward the inside, interior, or center, as of a place, space, or body.
2.
into or toward the mind or soul:
He turned his thoughts inward.
3.
Obsolete.
  1. on the inside or interior.
  2. in the mind or soul; mentally or spiritually.
adjective
4.
proceeding or directed toward the inside or interior.
5.
situated within or in or on the inside; inner; internal:
an inward room.
6.
pertaining to the inside or inner part.
7.
located within the body:
the inward parts.
8.
pertaining to the inside of the body:
inward convulsions.
9.
inland:
inward passage.
10.
mental or spiritual; inner:
inward peace.
11.
muffled or indistinct, as the voice.
12.
private or secret.
13.
closely personal; intimate.
14.
Archaic. pertaining to the homeland; domestic.
noun
15.
the inward or internal part; the inside.
16.
inwards, the inward parts of the body; entrails; innards.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English inweard. See in, -ward
Examples from the web for inward
  • Prey touch tiny trigger hairs that release the door, which opens inward, sucking in the prey to their doom.
  • We faced inward, moving slowly from one handhold and foothold to the next.
  • Some countries, however, are becoming more inward-looking.
  • It becomes an open diary or confessional booth, where inward thoughts are publicly aired.
  • Rather than turn her rage inward, she decided to take it out on the people who she thought had destroyed her life.
  • The problem with this explanation is that the curtain will suck inward toward a cold shower, too.
  • In pianists, for example, the fingers might clutch inward involuntarily every time they attempt to strike a key.
  • The inward motion at this phase is called the first collapse.
  • If the nail does grow inward, do not cut the nail corner at an angle.
  • The fontanelles should feel firm and should curve inward slightly to the touch.
British Dictionary definitions for inward

inward

/ˈɪnwəd/
adjective
1.
going or directed towards the middle of or into something
2.
situated within; inside
3.
of, relating to, or existing in the mind or spirit: inward meditation
4.
of one's own country or a specific country: inward investment
adverb
5.
a variant of inwards (sense 1)
noun
6.
the inward part; inside
Derived Forms
inwardness, noun

inwards

adverb (ˈɪnwədz)
1.
towards the interior or middle of something
2.
in, into, or towards the mind or spirit
plural noun (ˈɪnədz)
3.
a variant spelling of innards
Word Origin and History for inward

Old English inweard, inneweard (adj., adv.) "inmost; sincere; internal, intrinsic; deep," from Proto-Germanic *inwarth "inward" (cf. Old Norse innanverðr, Old High German inwart, Middle Dutch inwaert), from root of Old English inne "in" (see in) + -weard (see -ward).