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Meaning & use

onward and upward

phrase·Everyday

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UK/ˌɒnwəd ənd ˈʌpwəd/
US/ˌɑːnwərd ən ˈʌpwərd/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformalapproving

    Used to encourage someone to keep moving forward and keep improving, especially after a disappointment.

    Grammar: Often said alone as an exclamation or a sign-off.

    Patterns

    • Onward and upward!

    We lost the match, but it is onward and upward from here.

    After her promotion she smiled and said, 'Onward and upward!'

    The coach ended his speech with onward and upward.

  2. phraseidiominformal

    Describing steady progress or growth, with things getting better over time.

    Grammar: Often used after go or be: the company's fortunes went onward and upward.

    Patterns

    • go onward and upward
    • be onward and upward

    Since the new manager arrived, sales have been onward and upward.

    The team's results are onward and upward this season.

    Her career has gone onward and upward ever since.

Common combinations

Onward and upward!
The project is finished, so onward and upward!
go onward and upward
With luck, things will go onward and upward from here.
keep moving onward and upward
We will keep moving onward and upward despite the setback.
onward and upward from here
It is onward and upward from here.
always onward and upward
Her motto is always onward and upward.

Synonyms and how they differ

full steam ahead
Full steam ahead stresses speed and energy in carrying out a plan, while onward and upward stresses progress and improvement.
keep going
Keep going is plain encouragement to continue, without the positive idea of rising.
onwards
Onwards says only move forward, without the sense of getting better that upward adds.
excelsior
Excelsior is a literary Latin motto meaning ever higher, and it sounds more poetic and rarer.

Opposites

downhill

Word family

onward adverb
moving forward
upward adverb
toward a higher position
onwards adverb
British form of onward
upwardly mobile adjective
moving to a higher social or economic level

Commonly confused: onward and upward or onwards and upwards?

onward and upward vs onwards and upwards

Onwards and upwards is the British spelling variant and means exactly the same.

Practice

After a rough week, Maria says, 'Well, it is onward and upward from here.' What does she mean?

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