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outward

adjective · adverb · noun

Simple meaning

Outer; located towards the outside.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

owtwerd

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈaʊtwɚd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Outer; located towards the outside.

  2. Tending to the exterior or outside.

  3. Visible, noticeable.

adverb

  1. Towards the outside; away from the centre.

noun

  1. A ward in a detached building connected with a hospital.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Outer; located towards the outside.

Used this way, outward is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use outward

  • “A concern with outward beauty rather than with inward reflections.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Outwardly

outward appearanceoutward formoutward manifestation

Other combinations

outward expressionoutward signsoutward circumstancesoutward movementoutward world

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • outwardsadverbPlural form

    Toward the outside.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • outwardlyadverbDerived adverb

    With respect to the outside.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Antonyms

Sense: outer

inwardArchaic

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.