upwards

upwards — adverb

1. moving or pointing to a spot that is above where you are now; also describing an

1.adverbC1
Definition

moving or pointing to a spot that is above where you are now; also describing an amount, price, or quality that increases to a larger figure.

Example

The hot air balloon rose upwards until it was just a dot in the clouds.

physical upward movement

Sumin glanced upwards and noticed a crack running across the ceiling.

direction of gaze

Common collocations
  • revise upwards
  • move upwards
  • look upwards
  • rise upwards
  • drift upwards
  • climb upwards
  • push prices upwards
Synonyms
  • upward

    identical meaning; more common in American English and also functions as an adjective

  • up

    shorter and more casual; works as both adverb and preposition

Antonyms
  • downwards

    opposite direction — toward a lower place, level, or value

  • down

    informal counterpart to up

Grammar Patterns

upwards + adverb

upwards + prepositional phrase

Usage Note

In British English, upwards is the more common form; in American English, upward is also used frequently. Use upward (not upwards) as an adjective before a noun, e.g., an upward trend.

Common Mistakes

There was an upwards movement in prices.
There was an upward movement in prices.
Use upward (adjective form) before a noun; upwards is an adverb.
She looked upwards the mountain.
She looked upwards towards the mountain.
Upwards describes direction; use a preposition like towards or at to introduce the destination.

2. used before or after a number or amount to indicate that the real figure is at l

2.adverbB2
Definition

used before or after a number or amount to indicate that the real figure is at least that high, and often higher.

Example

Children aged twelve upwards can enter the science competition.

[age] + upwards: minimum age

The roof repairs will cost upwards of three thousand pounds.

upwards of [amount]: at least

Common collocations
  • upwards of [number]
  • [age] and upwards
  • [amount] and upwards
  • or upwards
Synonyms
  • upward of

    American English equivalent of upwards of

  • over

    simpler and more common in everyday speech

  • more than

    direct and unambiguous

Antonyms
  • under

    less than a stated amount

  • below

    used in age or level contexts

Grammar Patterns

upwards of [number]

[number] and upwards

Usage Note

When used before a figure, the structure is typically upwards of + amount (e.g., upwards of fifty people). When placed after, the pattern is [figure] and upwards (e.g., £50 and upwards). Not common in American English, where upward of is preferred.

Common Mistakes

There weren't upwards of fifty guests.
There were upwards of fifty guests.
Upwards of is used in positive statements about minimum quantity, not in negations.
The project cost upwards 5 million.
The project cost upwards of 5 million.
The preposition of is required before the figure.

3. continuing forward in time from a particular age, decade, or date that has been

3.adverbC1
Definition

continuing forward in time from a particular age, decade, or date that has been mentioned.

Example

From her teenage years upwards, Élise dreamed of becoming a marine biologist.

from [age] upwards: starting point in life

From her mid-twenties upwards, Nur found she needed reading glasses for small print.

from [age] upwards: life stage starting point

Common collocations
  • from [age] upwards
  • from [decade] upwards
  • from [date] upwards
Synonyms
  • onwards

    the more frequent choice for temporal continuation; interchangeable in British English

  • forward

    preferred in American English for temporal contexts

Antonyms
  • backwards

    temporal opposite — from a point going earlier in time

Grammar Patterns

from [time/age] upwards

Usage Note

Always preceded by from + a time expression. Largely interchangeable with onwards in British English (from the 1990s onwards / upwards). Less common in American English, where forward or on are preferred.

Common Mistakes

I studied French 2010 upwards.
I studied French from 2010 upwards.
The preposition from must always precede the time expression.

Word family

  • upward
    adjectiveB2
  • upward
    adverbC1
  • upwardly
    adverbC1
  • up
    adverbA1
  • up
    prepositionA1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Upwards, upward, and up all describe movement to a higher position, but they differ in formality and grammar. Upwards is standard in British English as an adverb (look upwards), while upward appears more in American English and is the only form used as an adjective (an upward trend). Up is the shortest and most versatile — it works as adverb, preposition, and adjective in everyday speech (go up, up the stairs, the up escalator), but it lacks the directional specificity of upwards. Upwardly is restricted to figurative contexts, most often in the fixed phrase upwardly mobile, describing people moving to a higher social class. Skyward is poetic or literary, used only for literal upward movement toward the sky. For example: 'The hawk climbed upwards in a spiral'; 'The hawk soared up into the sky'; 'The hawk shot skyward.' Choose upwards/upward for neutral descriptions of direction or increase; use up for casual speech; save skyward for vivid writing.

upward ↗upupwardlyskyward

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • steadily upwards
  • slowly upwards
  • sharply upwards
  • directly upwards
  • gently upwards

Phrases

  • revise upwards
  • move upwards
  • look upwards
  • rise upwards
  • from [age] upwards
  • upwards of [amount]
  • [amount] and upwards

Prepositions

  • from [time/age] upwards

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Upwards comes from Old English upweardes, formed from up (meaning 'toward a higher place') and -weard (a suffix showing direction, related to 'turn'). The final -s was added in Middle English as an adverbial genitive ending, the same ending found in other direction words like backwards, forwards, towards, and afterwards. The form without -s (upward) appeared around the same time, and British English kept both forms while American English prefers upward for most uses.