upwardadv.prep.adj.n.
/ˈʌpwəd/, U.S. /ˈəpwərd/ A. adv.
I. To or towards a position that is physically higher, and related uses.† 4. Upright; erectly. Obsolete. rare.
1. To or towards a higher position or plane; from a lower to a loftier level or object; in an ascending course or direction:figurative.a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 194 They..look't downward upon those dishonourable Actions, not upward upon his Vertues.1836 W. Irving Astoria I. 29 To these were added an aspiring spirit that always looked upward; a genius [etc.].
a. In reference to movement or extension through space.Occasionally upward and downward, = up and down adv. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adverb]
upc888
upwardsc888
upwardOE
upc1384
roofward1844
roofwards1845
whereup1880
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in upward direction
upc888
upwardsc890
upwardOE
anovewardOE
countermount1513
upwith1513
supernally1596
headward1786
upwardly1816
upways1890
up-along1963
α.
figurative and in extended use.1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 2957 As sone as eldol him ysey is herte vpward drou.1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. ix. 146 Thus to..fling those curses upward that must soon descend to crush thy own grey head..!1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend iv. 180 Upward steals the life of man, As the sunshine from the wall.β. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 105 Ech god ȝiue..cumeð of heuene dunward, and ech idel, and unnit and iuel, neðen uppard.a1225 Leg. Kath. 1964 (Bodl. 17) Hwenne þe twa walden keasten uppart þing þet ha chahten.?13.. Geburt Jesu 181 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1875) 75 Heo ne bi heold after fader ne moder, þo heo vppard steiȝ.a1400 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 321 So þat þe water vaste waxe vppard hey & wyde.OE Cynewulf Elene 805 He mid bæm handum, eadig ond ægleaw upweard plegade.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 548 Ða gewende eal se sang upweard to heofenum.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12826 Ȝe shulenn sen..godess enngless. Vppwarrd & dunnwarrd baþe upp onn. Þe manness sune stiȝhenn.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 59 Asswa se ȝe maȝen iseon. water hwenne me Punt hit..þenne is hit ined aȝein forto climben upwart.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 6564 Þe water uaste wax vpward hei & wide.
1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 5272 Þe fendys þat were yn þe pytte Smote vpwarde.
c1374 G. Chaucer Hous of Fame ii. 236 Fire or sovne Or smoke..Alwey..seke vpwarde on hight.
c1400 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) v. i. 69 Now..fle we vpward, as fast as we may!
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 33 I wil helpe that the ladder be sette vp, that he may goo vpwart theron.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 183 Now spring vp, flouris, fra the rute, Reuert ȝow vpwart naturaly.
1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor iii. ii. sig. Gv He voyded a bushell of soote yester-day, vpward and downeward. View more context for this quotation
1620 T. Venner Via Recta i. 21 Because it fumeth vpward, it causeth drowsinesse.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 64 Watchful Herons,..mounting upward, with erected flight,..soar above the sight. View more context for this quotation
1706 M. Prior Ode to Queen v Upward the Noble Bird directs his Wing.
1771 J. Sparrow tr. H. F. Le Dran Observ. Surg. (ed. 4) 172 Mr. Morand..dilated the Part upward and downward.
1823 Ld. Byron Island iii. i. 47 Sulphury vapours upward driven Had left the earth.
1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold i. i. 2 Like a spirit in Hell who..cannot scape the flame... Steam'd upward from the undescendable Abysm.
b. In reference to aspect, attitude, or direction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in inward direction or towards interior
upwarda1000
inwardc1000
upwards1513
inwards1598
withinward1611
inwardly1667
in-bye1768
inwith1768
a1000 Boeth. Metr. xxxi. 23 Nis þæt gedafenlic þæt se modsefa monna æniges niðerheald wese, & þæt neb upweard.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 59 Þene Mon he lufede and welbiþohte, and for-þi his neb upward he wrohte.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 2372 Heo biheold upward, wið upaheuen heorte.
1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 6664 He loked vpwarde with hys yne.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. v. 262 A þousent of Men..Criȝinge vpward to Crist..To haue grace [etc.].
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 64 Upon his brest..he leith His hond, and cast upward his yhe.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v. x He loked and byheld vpward to the heuen.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Resupinus He standeth vpright with his clawes or nayles vpwarde to heauen.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney tr. P. de Mornay Woorke concerning Trewnesse Christian Relig. i If yee looke upward, yee see there infinite bodies.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iv. i. 181 To gape or looke upward with the eye. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis v, in tr. Virgil Wks. 348 Acestes..shooting upward, sends his Shaft.
1712 A. Pope tr. Statius First Bk. Thebais in Misc. Poems 43 His sad Companions upwards gaze.
1793 W. Wordsworth Evening Walk 25 Impatience, pointing upward, showed, Through passes yet unreached, a brighter road.
1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 79 Upward when he turns his sight.
1819 P. B. Shelley Rosalind & Helen 59 His countenance Raised upward, burned with radiance.
1850 Househ. Words I. 229/1 I saw him looking upward.
c. figurative. To or towards a loftier stage, level, or standard, in respect of thought, feeling, life, distinction, excellence, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [adverb]
upwardc1175
upwards1557
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6014 God mann riseþþ aȝȝ upp warrd Inn alle gode dedess.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 106 [They] þencheð upwart to þe blisse of heouene.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 337 The chirche grewe vpward bothe in kunnyng and in lyuyng.
?1510 T. More tr. G. F. Pico della Mirandola Lyfe I. Picus sig. a.ii Whose mind shuld alwei as the fier aspire vpward to heuenly thing.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 68/1 Sir Iames Tyrell..had an high heart, and sore longed vpwarde.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iv. ii. 24 Things at the worst will cease or else climbe vpward, To what they were before. View more context for this quotation
1692 J. Dryden Eleonora 10 Now 'tis Faith ascends, Now Hope, now Charity, that upward tends.
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 173 What would this Man? now upward will he soar, And little less than Angel would be more.
1849 C. Thirlwall Remains (1878) III. 352 Upward hearts—upward, above all paltry, sordid, grovelling aims and desires.
1898 J. R. Illingworth Divine Immanence i. 9 Every form of conscious life, from the lowest sensitive organism upward.
d. Higher in respect of price or value, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [adverb] > increasing or increased in price
up1546
on the rise1805
upward1874
upwards1874
1874 Times 12 Jan. 6/5 The trade was very firm, with a strong inclination upward in price.
1874 Times 12 Jan. 6/5 There appears to be a strong tendency upward [in the price of corn].
e. Sociology. upward mobility, movement from a lower to a higher social level. Hence upward-mobile adjectival phrase, possessing upward mobility.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > social mobility
social mobility1860
mobility1866
downward mobility1929
upward mobility1949
spiralism1957
society > society and the community > social class > [adjective] > socially mobile
mobile1846
vertical1927
upward-mobile1949
spiralist1957
upwardly mobile1964
1949 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 54 519/2 These children were learning attitudes and habits leading to upward social mobility.
1964 J. Gould & W. L. Kolb Dict. Social Sci. 434/2 A change in social class position..is called vertical mobility, with the sub-classes of upward mobility and downward mobility.
1964 J. Gould & W. L. Kolb Dict. Social Sci. 604/2 A hungry rat may be rewarded by food, an upward-mobile person by a symbol of prestige.
1969 J. Baratz & S. Baratz in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out (1973) 14 The price of integration for the upward-mobile black man has been continuous tension and anxiety.
1978 J. Updike Coup (1979) vii. 259 Her hard-packed determination to achieve, with her husband Bud, upward mobility.
2.
a. Up along the course of a stream, etc.; further into the interior of a country; to or towards a centre, metropolis, source, etc. Also in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [adverb] > towards source
upwarda1122
up1600
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1013 Swegen cyning mid his flotan..wende..to Humbran muðan, & swa upp weard andlang Trentan.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4637 Hamun arnde upwarð upward [read; c1300 Otho vpward] & oðer while adunward.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 73 Þanne vpward aboue þat is þe ilond Farne.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 3 In þis same Numedie stant..Tagatenses..sumwhat upward mor on-to Cartage.
1505 in Leadam Star Chamber Cases (Selden) 223 Euery Trow or Cobull passing vpward vndre the seide Brugge.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 765 The yong kyng..he conueyed vpwarde towarde the Citie of London.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 134 An ancient Legend I prepare to sing, And upward follow Fame's immortal Spring. View more context for this quotation
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 10 Be Homer's Works your Study,..And trace the Muses upward to their Spring.
b. Towards the body or head. (Cf. senses A. 3b, A. 5.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > positions or directions in body > [adverb] > towards body or head
upward1600
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V ii. iii. 24 I felt to them [sc. his feet],..And to his knees,..And so vpward, and vpward.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 123 The vast body of the Roman Empire like a body wasting with age, died upward.
3.
a. In, occupying, or so as to occupy a higher or the highest position or place.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [adverb] > higher
highereOE
upwarda1300
upperc1384
uppermorec1400
superiorly1556
upwards1577
superior1718
a1300 Cursor Mundi 23316 Þai sal be sett in þair prisun, Vpward þair fete, þair hefdes dun.
c1440 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 787 Vpwarde The bottom, do this vessel closid so.
c1450 Two Cookery-bks. 101 Ley the pike in a charger, the wombe side vpward.
c1480 (a1400) St. Peter 688 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 27 It is myn will one þe croice to be festnyt swa, myn fet vp-wart.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xv Ye plough..turneth the rote vpwarde that it may nat growe.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xl They make of hym an Image paynted reuersed with his heles vpwarde.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) v. iii. 92 Messa. Titinius face is vpward. Cato. He is slaine. View more context for this quotation
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Coxcombe i. v, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Nn2v/1 What an she were inverted with her heeles upward, like a traitors Coate?
1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper i. 44 Others inverted with feet upward, and head downward, and a fire being underneath, were so smoaked and suffocated to death.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 649 Coming towards them..they saw The bottom of the Mountains upward turn'd. View more context for this quotation
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. at Supination The act of lying with the face upward.
1809 in Naval Chron. 21 369 Puncheons..were placed end-upward.
1849 W. H. Ainsworth Lancashire Witches ii. iii [He has nailed] a horse-shoe..to t'threshold.., heel uppard.
b. In respect of the upper part or parts, esp. of the body.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [adverb] > in respect of upper part
upwardc1400
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1919) xxx. 178 Sum men seyn þat þei [sc. griffins] han the body vpward as an Egle, and benethe as a Lyoun.
1426 J. Lydgate tr. G. de Guileville Pilgrimage Life Man 1704 Tak exaumple off thy staff Wych Grace Dieu vn-to the gaff: Thogh the poynt be sharp & kene, Yt ys vpward pleyn, smothe & clene.
?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 75 First oour too feet, too legs, too kneez, so vpward: and abooue, too shoolderz, [etc.].
1607 ‘W. S.’ Puritaine i. 12 Hee lookes like a Monkey vpward; and a Crane downe-ward.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 462 Dagon his Name, Sea Monster, upward Man And downward Fish. View more context for this quotation
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > vertical position > [adverb] > uprightly
upwardc1290
uprightsa1375
bolt uprightc1405
rect1557
uprightly1601
bolt up1638
erectly1646
up1669
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 82/11 A wei þer was of scharpe stones: and opward stoden echon.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 7186 He sat him vpward vp is bed.
5. With (vertical) extension from a point or part (esp. of the body) to another expressed or implied.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > positions or directions in body > [adverb] > vertically from one point or part to another
upwarda1387
upwards1588
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in upward direction > vertically > with vertical extension
upwarda1387
upwards1588
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 209 A child..þat hadde tweie bodyes from þe navel upward.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) ii. 5 Þai made þat peece þat went fra [1839 from] þe erthe vpward..of cypresse.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) vii. 24 It had..fra þeine vpward þe schappe of a gayte.
c1440 Wycliffite Bible 1 Sam. ix. 2 (Bodl. 277) Fro þe schuldre and upward he appeeride ouer þe peple.
c1450 Mirk's Festial i. 97 Fendes token vp þe body, and beten hyt wyth brennyng scorgys from þe nauell vpward.
?c1510 tr. Newe Landes & People founde by Kynge of Portyngale sig. Divv The whyche ben fro the myddel vpward lyke men.
1539 Bible (Great) Ezek. i. 27 As it had bene all of fyre within from hys loynes vpward.
?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda iv. ii. 41 His skin is but pistol profe from the girdle vpward.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. ii. 34 A Spaniard from the hip vpward . View more context for this quotation
1642 J. Howell Instr. Forreine Travell xii. 154 It is well known the Habassines are Iacobites and Christians from the girdle upward.
II. To or towards a higher position in a sequence or continuum.
6. Backward in order of time; continuously into the past.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] > backwards in time or into the past
upwardc1055
backward1562
retro1634
upwards1689
back1711
recessively1880
c1055 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia (1885) 8 327 Swa fela daga tell þu fram martius monðes ende upweard.
c1175 Twelfth Cent. Hom. 34 Lucas tealde þanon..upweard to Adame seofen & hund-seofentiȝ mæȝða.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2056 Cristess kinn. Onn eorþe. o moderr hallfe. Bi weppmann shollde reccnedd ben Vppwarrd. & dunnwarrd baþe.
1611 Bible (King James) Hag. ii. 18 Consider now from this day, and vpward,..euen from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid, consider it. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Hag. ii. 15.
7.
a. To or into later life. Cf. up adv.1 22c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > age > [adverb] > advancing in age
upwardc1530
up1535
and upwards1570
upwardsa1807
c1530 Bible (Tyndale) Num. viii. 24 From .xxv. yere vppwarde they shall goo in to wayte [etc.].
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xvi. sig. Hviv Children..from the age of xiiii. yeres vpwarde.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 136. ⁋2 I am, and ever have been from my Youth upward, one of the greatest Liars.
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 54 He was a soldier from his youth upward.
1890 J. Pulsford Loyalty to Christ I. 123 From childhood and upward, our ears have been..thronged with the jargon of idolaters.
b. and (also or) upward = upwards adv. 6b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > a great quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > rather more than
and morec1230
and (also or) upward1555
and upwards1570
upward of1623
upwards of1721
rising1808
the rise of1834
(a)
(b)1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccccxxij He was .xxxii. yeares olde and vpwarde.1608 Relation Trav. W. Bush E j b To the number of two thousand people and vp-ward.1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 162 A series of a hundred and fifty leagues in length, and upward.1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 342v Children of thage of .xii. or .xiii. yeares or vppewarde.
1595 H. Platt Discouerie Eng. Wants sig. A3 Seacoale..at the rate of 8s the chawdren or vpwarde.
1596 J. Harington Anat. Metamorph. Aiax sig. Liijv A Cesterne containing a barrell [of water] or vpward.
1708 London Gaz. No. 4479/8 A black Cart Gelding, about 15 hands high, or upward.
c. To a higher number or amount. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > [adverb] > to a higher number
upward?1578
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > in or to a greater quantity, amount, or degree > to a higher quantity or amount
upwards1523
upward?1578
?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 74 So az all..numbrings from too vntoo three, & so vpward may well be coounted numberz.
8. upward of = upwards adv. 8.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > a great quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > rather more than
and morec1230
and (also or) upward1555
and upwards1570
upward of1623
upwards of1721
rising1808
the rise of1834
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII ii. iv. 34 I haue beene your Wife, in this Obedience, Vpward of twenty yeares. View more context for this quotation
a1628 F. Greville Life of Sidney (1651) xvi. 218 The builders of any ships upward of so many hundred Tuns.
1864 Intellectual Observer VI. 282 A good swarm..containing at the lowest estimate upward of 40,000.
9. upward compatibility, the property of computer software and hardware by virtue of which software written for a less capable machine can be used on a more capable one; so upward-compatible adjectival phrase, exhibiting upward compatibility.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > [adjective] > compatible > of newer machines
upward-compatible1964
upgradable1974
upwardly compatible1981
1964 Computer Bull. June 44/2 The ibm system/360 is available in six models... IBM is developing an additional, very high performance system to be upward-compatible with these models.
1965 Computer Bull. June 20/1 In addition to upward compatibility the Compatibles/100 offer users the protection of a more complete range of software.
1976 Aviation Week 6 Sept. 155/1 All software in the series is upward-compatible.
1979 Business Week (Industr. ed.) 27 Aug. 83 The new system is aimed at providing the current users of GSD's systems with a more powerful, upward-compatible system.
1982 Computerworld 15 Mar. 4/1 The system is upward-compatible with both the Harris 1600 and Harris 9200 series processors.
1983 Austral. Personal Computer Oct. 49/2 There are..rumours that IBM will soon release an in-house developed DOS..which will be more upward compatible to IBM disk operating systems.
1983 Pop. Computing Nov. 15 Instruction sets for the micro~processors are ‘upward compatible’, that is, a program written for the original Z80 will also work on the faster Z80A, Z80B, or Z80H, but the reverse is not necessarily true.
1984 Computerworld 16 Apr. 47 Version 4.0 provides full upward compatibility for Template Version 3.0 applications programs.
Up; along the line of ascent of. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > up [preposition]
upc1000
upwardc1485
c1485 Digby Myst. (1882) v. 388 I se hym now com vpward the hill.
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 16 Whether to surprise The squatted hare..Or upward ragged precipices flit To save poor lambkins.
C. adj. (Cf. Old English upweard adj.)† 1. Facing upwards; lying on the back; supine; = upright adj. 2. Obsolete.A few examples occur in Old English.† 5. Going backward in time. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or fact of lying down or reclining > [adjective] > supine or face up
uprightOE
displayeda1400
supine?a1425
upward1607
resupine1682
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having upward direction > facing upwards
upward1607
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 465 A certaine herbe..which..maketh him to fall presently vpon his backe and lye vpward without stirring.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 268 The position or manner of lying of the sickeman, eyther prone that is downeward, or supine that is vpward.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 194 Women drowned float prone,..but men supine or upward, is an assertion wherein the..point it selfe is dubious. View more context for this quotation
2. in extended use.1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 419/1 The speech-note on the word ‘pale’ will consist of an upward movement of the voice.spec.1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2684/1 Upward filter, a filter in which the flow of the liquid is upward.
a. Directed towards a higher or loftier point, place, or plane; having a vertical or ascensional course or direction; taking place or inclined upwards; ascending.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adjective]
upwarda1616
upright1650
erected1697
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having upward direction
upwarda1616
ascentive1627
looking up1649
upturned1839
uppish1862
up1869
a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) iv. iii. 191 Common Mother [= the earth],..Teeme with new Monsters, whom thy vpward face Hath to the Marbled Mansion all aboue Neuer presented. View more context for this quotation
1637 J. Milton Comus 4 The slope Sun his upward beame Shoots against the duskie Pole.
1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Theodore & Honoria in Fables 268 So spread upon a Lake with upward Eye A plump of Fowl, behold their Foe on high.
1704 M. Prior Let. to Boileau Despreaux 174 The Eagle..directs her upward Flight.
1718 M. Prior Solomon on Vanity iii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 505 The Angel said; With upward Speed His agile Wings He spread.
1785 W. Cowper Tirocinium in Task 383 The exalted prize demands an upward look. View more context for this quotation
1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 334 The last high upward slant of sun on the trees.
a1842 W. Wordsworth Misc. Sonn. iii. xxxi She stands.., One upward hand..lying softly on her breast.
1890 J. Pulsford Loyalty to Christ I. 104 The upward slopes of the new life are delightful, and the prospects enrapturing.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 81 The movement and discomfort in the hands may be relieved..by very gentle upward rubbing.
b. Having a trend, course, drift, etc., which indicates advance, progress, or increase.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > continuing > progress, advance, or further continuance > [adjective] > to a further or higher stage
upwarda1616
progressivea1653
unretrograde1798
the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > indicating increase
upward1852
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) v. iii. 1 Thus farre our fortune keepes an vpward course. View more context for this quotation
1852 Lawson's Merchant's Mag. July 236 A change..in the weather..has checked the upward tendency in quotations [of grain].
1870 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Sept. 9/2 Where there is any change [in the Stock Markets] it is in the upward direction.
1914 Eng. Hist. Rev. Jan. 135 The upward movement which raised the lower labouring classes.
c. Having lofty aims or purpose.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [adjective]
kindly1340
heroical?a1475
heroicc1550
high-set1597
fine1598
unbase1601
exalteda1616
noblea1616
spiritful1631
raised1662
high-toned1770
lofty1776
etherealized1846
upward1850
unsordid1857
high-tone1864
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xl. 63 Tho' following with an upward mind The wonders that have come to thee. View more context for this quotation
3. Situated or lying aloft or above; higher in place or position; lofty.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [adjective]
highOE
high-seta1382
sovereigna1425
airy1565
sublime?1567
haughty1570
supernal1599
aerial1608
upward1622
high-top1653
superincumbent1659
supern1703
highish1778
high-up1831
high-level1842
altitudinous1868
1622 J. Boys Wks. 957 Troubles in this world (quoth Austin) are an vpward hell.
1816 P. B. Shelley Alastor 20 A swan..with strong wings Scaling the upward sky.
1827 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd 79 Barns spy'd, frae his upwart place,..George's face.
4. † a. (See quot. 1768) Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1768 Boyer's Royal Dict. (rev. ed.) (at cited word) Upward goods, or merchandize, (so inland traders call goods designed for London).
b. Directed, moving, etc., up along a stream or river; taking place upstream.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [adjective] > directed up-river
upward1731
upstream1826
up-river1836
1731 in Extracts from Navigation Rolls Thames & Isis (1772) 22 The Master or chief Boatman of any upward Boat or Barge.
1816 J. K. Tuckey Narr. Exped. River Zaire (1818) iv. 134 Running directly on the rocks, and forming a strong upward eddy on its west side.
1816 J. K. Tuckey Narr. Exped. River Zaire (1818) iv. 144 Our upward view of the river.
1818 M. Birkbeck Notes Journey Amer. (ed. 4) 80 The upward navigation of these streams.
1887 Field 31 Dec. 985/3 In regard to other migratory fish..the same weirs have the effect..of..arresting their upward migration.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > [adjective] > going backward in time
upward1604
retroactive1822
1604 B. Jonson His Pt. Royall Entertainem. sig. E4v She then remembred to his thought..the vpward race Of Kings, præceding him in that high Court.
D. n.† 1. The top part; the crown or summit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > highest point or top
headOE
copa1000
heightOE
topc1000
highestlOE
crest1382
coperounc1400
summita1425
summity?a1425
toppet1439
altitude?a1475
upperest1484
principala1533
pitcha1552
supremity1584
culm1587
period1595
spire1600
upward1608
cope1609
fastigium1641
vertex1641
culmen1646
supreme1652
tip-top1702
peak1785
helm1893
altaltissimo1975
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxiv. 133 From the'xtreamest vpward of thy head, To the descent and dust beneath thy feet. View more context for this quotation
2. Upward movement. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > joy, gladness, or delight > [noun] > elation
elatement1746
elation1750
elatedness1791
mountinga1807
upward1898
1898 G. Meredith Odes French Hist. 30 Not singing the spirally upward of rapture, the downward of pain Rather, the drop sheer downward from pressure of merciless weight.
Compounds
General attributive. C1. (In sense A. 1.)
upward-climbing adj.
ΚΠ
1920 R. Kipling et al. in Q. Horati Flacci Carminum Librum Quintum v. 17 For fierce she-Britons, apt to smite Their upward-climbing sisters down.
1963 Times Lit. Suppl. 8 Mar. 168/3 Upward-climbing iambics.
upward-curving adj.
ΚΠ
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses i. i. [Telemachus] 23 He walked along the upwardcurving path.
upward-gazing adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [adjective] > looking upwards
uplookinga1340
upseeking1801
upstaring1835
upward-gazing1871
1871 F. T. Palgrave Lyrical Poems 64 As some still upward-gazing lake.
upward-rushing adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adjective] > moving upwards in other ways
upspringingc1400
upflinging1566
upsteaming1582
spearing1753
uprushing1801
upheaving1821
upward-striving1844
upward-shooting1857
upshooting1869
upward-rushing1871
1871 Ld. Tennyson Last Tournament in Contemp. Rev. Dec. 13 An ever upward-rushing storm and cloud Of shriek and plume.
upward-shooting adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adjective] > moving upwards in other ways
upspringingc1400
upflinging1566
upsteaming1582
spearing1753
uprushing1801
upheaving1821
upward-striving1844
upward-shooting1857
upshooting1869
upward-rushing1871
1857 Ld. Dufferin Lett. from High Latitudes (ed. 3) 328 The upward shooting fluff of seas.
upward-stirring adj.
upward-striving adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adjective] > moving upwards in other ways
upspringingc1400
upflinging1566
upsteaming1582
spearing1753
uprushing1801
upheaving1821
upward-striving1844
upward-shooting1857
upshooting1869
upward-rushing1871
1844 R. W. Emerson Ess. ii. viii In countless upward-striving waves The moon-drawn tide-wave strives.
C2.
upward-parted adj.
ΚΠ
1865 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 151 A brush of trees Rounded it, thinning skywards by degrees, With parallel shafts,—as upward-parted ashes.
upward pointed adj.
ΚΠ
1821 Atherstone Poems 6 With upward pointed hands, these pray'd aloud.
C3. (In sense A. 2.)
upward-bound adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > [adjective] > upwards
upward-bound1710
upgoing1859
1710 London Gaz. No. 4681/3 The upward-bound Ships for the Eastward.
1800 Hull Advertiser 18 Oct. 3/2 The upward-bound..are at anchor.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adv.prep.adj.n.OE