I. ˈinwərd, ˈinwəd adjective
Etymology: Middle English inward, from Old English inweard, inneweard, innanweard; Old English inweard akin to Middle Dutch inwaert inward, Old High German inwert, all from a prehistoric West Germanic compound whose first constituent is represented by Old English in, inn, adverb, in, and whose second constituent is represented by Old English -weard -ward; Old English inneweard from inne within (akin to Old High German & Old Norse inni within, Gothic inna, all from a prehistoric Germanic word derived from the word represented by Old English in, inn, adverb, in) + -weard -ward; Old English innanweard akin to Old Norse innanverthr inward, both from a prehistoric North Germanic-West Germanic compound whose first constituent is represented by Old English & Old Norse innan within, from within, Old High German innan, innana within, Gothic innana (all from a prehistoric Germanic word derived from the word represented by Old English in, inn, adverb, in) and whose second constituent is represented by Old English -weard -ward — more at in (adverb), -ward
1.
a. : situated on the inside : inner , internal
inward smile
the whole body moves in response to some inward rhythm — Ellen Glasgow
b. : produced from within : muffled
her words were inward and indistinct — Ann Radcliffe
2.
a. : of or relating to the mind or spirit : mental , spiritual
inward peace
the scholar … lives an inward and unmaterial life — P.E.More
inward struggle of the heroes to find their own truth — Leslie Rees
b. : of or relating to religious faith : devout , pious
monks … free the soul from corporeality and make it inward — José Ortega y Gasset
3.
a. : of or relating to close acquaintance : familiar , intimate
intimate and inward , not outward from the child — R.L.Shayon
more inward with the Tudor-Stuart dramatists than any man … before or since — T.S.Eliot
b. obsolete : confidential , secret
what is inward between us, let it pass — Shakespeare
4. archaic : of or relating to the homeland : domestic
the dangers inward they foresaw would be from the noblemen removed from the Queen's Council — Robert Norton
5. : directed toward the interior : ingoing
inward slope of radiator grille — Car Life
Synonyms: see inner
II. adverb
or inwards “
Etymology: Middle English inward, inwardes; Middle English inward from Old English inweard, from inweard, adjective; Middle English inwardes from inward + -es (adverbially functioning gen. singular ending of nouns) — more at inward (adjective), -'s
1.
a. : toward the inside : toward the center or interior
the sides of the hole seemed to slope inward until they met — Gwyn Thomas
ships … that tried to run either inward or outward through the blockade — C.S.Forester
specifically : homeward
inward bound
b. obsolete : on the inside : internally
the maple seldom inward sound — Edmund Spenser
2. : toward the inner being : into the mind or spirit
his rich emotions began to turn inward — H.S.Canby
III. “, in sense 2 usually ˈinə(r)d noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English inneweard, from inneweard, adjective — more at inward (adjective)
1. : an inner being or nature : essence , spirit
make thine inward like unto thine outward — John Payne
— usually used in plural
Jefferson puts the inwards of the issue in these terms — Archibald MacLeish
2.
a. : an inside or interior part
their forms fled to the dusky inward of his mysterious box — Ross Lockridge
— often used in plural
saw him … glare down into the mysterious inwards of the engine — Wallace Stegner
b. : innards — usually used in plural
the gastroenterologist manages our nervous inwards — Greer Williams
3. obsolete : an intimate friend : confidant
I was an inward of his — Shakespeare
IV. ˈinˌwȯrd noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin inwarda, inguarda, probably from (assumed) Old English inweard, from Old English in, inn, adverb, in + weard ward, action of guarding — more at in (adverb), ward (n.)
: bodyguard service rendered to a king by his sokemen when he visits their shire