What does hindward mean?
Hindward means toward the rear or stern. Its most traditional use is nautical, where it could describe looking, moving, or sailing in the direction of a ship's stern. In literary English, it can also mean backward in position, direction, or time, as in a phrase such as “looking hindward to earlier decades.” The word is now uncommon in ordinary conversation, but it remains useful in descriptions of ships and in deliberately formal or reflective writing. Unlike backward, which can mean either toward the rear or the opposite of an established order, hindward primarily specifies movement toward the rear or a previous point. It is also closely associated with the vessel in the expression “the hindward view.” Although its everyday frequency is low, the term preserves an older nautical vocabulary and can add a period or atmospheric quality to a sentence.
In the direction of the rear or stern; backward.
"The ship swung hindward as the tide turned."
Chiefly nautical or literary; more common in British English than in contemporary American usage.
Directed or relating to the rear or stern.
"The sailors watched the hindward movement of the vessel."
Now chiefly literary or nautical and often perceived as old-fashioned.
Once a standard nautical direction, hindward survives in literary English as a vivid way to say “toward the rear.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hindward come from?
Hindward is an English formation combining “hind,” meaning the rear or behind, with the directional suffix “-ward,” meaning “in the direction of.” The two elements have long been used separately in English, and their combination developed most strongly in nautical usage.
Related word forms
How hindward is actually used
Outside nautical and literary contexts, the word sounds old-fashioned and may be perceived as unnecessarily formal. It normally expresses direction rather than simply the reverse of an action.
Easily confused with hindward
Hindward specifically indicates direction toward the rear or stern, whereas backward can also describe something reversed, earlier, or moving toward the rear.