What does afterward mean?
'Afterward' is an adverb meaning at a later time — it points to something that happened after the moment or event under discussion. A speaker might say, 'We watched the film, and afterward we went for coffee,' placing the coffee firmly on the far side of the film. The word is simple but indispensable: it lets narratives and explanations move forward in time without naming a specific hour or date. It belongs to a small family of directional adverbs built with the suffix '-ward,' which signals orientation toward something, here the future rather than a place. American English uses 'afterward' as its standard form, while British English nearly always chooses the variant 'afterwards'; the two are identical in meaning and either is acceptable in most contexts. Writers should take care not to confuse it with 'afterword,' the closing note an author appends to a book — a near-homophone that trips up even careful spellers. Common pairings include 'soon afterward,' 'shortly afterward,' and 'immediately afterward.'
adverbAt a later or subsequent time; after the event or time mentioned.
- At a later time than the moment or event just mentioned; subsequently.
"We had dinner, and afterward we walked along the river."
"She thanked the audience and left the stage shortly afterward."
"He didn't realize the mistake until years afterward."
The word you use to describe what happens next is itself spelled almost exactly like the thing authors write at the end of books — one letter apart, worlds apart in meaning.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of afterward
'Afterward' is formed from the Old English adverb 'æfter' (meaning behind or later) combined with the suffix '-ward,' which indicates direction or orientation in time or space. The '-ward' construction is ancient and productive in English, producing words like 'forward,' 'backward,' and 'toward.' The compound has existed in English since the Middle English period, and the variant 'afterwards' arose by analogy with other '-wards' forms such as 'towards.' Its closest relatives are not foreign borrowings but native English compounds built on the same root 'after,' including 'aftermath,' 'afterthought,' and 'afterlife.'
How afterward is actually used
'Afterward' is the standard American spelling and pronunciation, while British English overwhelmingly favors 'afterwards'; both are correct and interchangeable in meaning. It carries no particular register — it appears equally in formal writing and casual speech — though in very formal prose writers sometimes prefer 'subsequently' or 'thereafter'.
Easily confused with afterward
'Afterward' means at a later time, while an 'afterword' is a concluding section of text at the end of a book.