westwards C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈwɛst.wɚdz/ UK /ˈwest.wədz/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv toward the west The wagons rolled westwards into the setting sun. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · toward the west westwardwest ↔ Opposites eastwardseastward Word family Related forms westwesternwesterly Etymology AI details From westward + adverbial -s, from Old English westweard ('toward the west'), from west + -weard ('-ward, in the direction of'). westweard Old English -weard Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # westwards **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈwɛst.wɚdz/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈwest.wədz/ ## Meanings 1. toward the west ## Examples - The wagons rolled westwards into the setting sun. ## Synonyms - westward - west ## Antonyms - eastwards - eastward ## Related Forms - west - western - westerly ## Roots and Affixes - Root: westweard - Root: -weard ## Etymology From westward + adverbial -s, from Old English westweard ('toward the west'), from west + -weard ('-ward, in the direction of'). ## AI Etymology Westwards comes from westward + adverbial -s, from Old English westweard ('toward the west'), from west + -weard ('-ward, in the direction of'). In current use it is an adverb meaning "toward the west". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English westweard and Old English -weard. Related English forms include west, western, and westerly. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown