onwards
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
from a specific time and continuing into the future.
indicating a continuous progression in time starting from a specific point.
Simple“From the second week of the course onwards, we will focus on practical skills.”
In context“From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, the rapid expansion of the railway network fundamentally transformed the nation's internal trade routes.”
Usageoften follows a time expression like 'from the 1990s onwards'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
moving further ahead or towards a destination.
indicating physical movement or direction toward a point ahead.
Simple“The hikers pushed onwards despite the heavy rain and wind.”
In context“The expedition pressed onwards toward the summit, undeterred by the thinning oxygen and the increasingly treacherous terrain.”
Usageless common in modern speech than 'onward' or 'forward'.
“The territories have a special arrangement within the free-travel Schengen zone, meaning people cannot travel onwards to mainland Spain without border checks.”
From on + -wards.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.