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Outwards vs Towards - What's the difference?

outwards | towards |

In obsolete|lang=en terms the difference between outwards and towards

is that outwards is (obsolete) outwardly; (merely) on the surface while towards is (obsolete) near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

As adverbs the difference between outwards and towards

is that outwards is from the interior toward the exterior; in an outward direction while towards is (obsolete) in the direction of something (indicated by context).

As a preposition towards is

variant of toward.

As an adjective towards is

(obsolete) near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

outwards

English

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • From the interior toward the exterior; in an outward direction.
  • * Sir Isaac Newton
    • Light falling on them is not reflected outwards .
  • (obsolete) Outwardly; (merely) on the surface.
  • * 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Matthew XXIII:
    • Wo be to you scrybes, and pharises ypocrites, for ye are lyke unto paynted tombes which appere beautyfull outwardes : but are within full off deed mens bones and of all fylthynes.

    Anagrams

    * *

    towards

    English

    Preposition

    (en-prep) (mainly in British English )
  • Variant of toward.
  • * 1835 , Sir , Sir (James Clark Ross), Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1 , pp.284-5
    • Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Everton 0-2 Liverpool , passage=But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.}}

    Synonyms

    * toward

    Usage notes

    * Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the words (term) and (towards), the difference is merely dialectal. (term) is the most common form, while (toward) tends to appear only in American English.

    See also

    * See

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete) In the direction of something (indicated by context).
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , II.iv:
    • Thus as he spake, lo far away they spyde / A varlet running towards hastily [...].

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.
  • * Shakespeare
    • We have a trifling foolish banquet / Towards .

    Statistics

    * English prepositions