Skyward means toward the sky or in an upward direction. When a rocket launches skyward, it climbs higher and higher into the atmosphere. When you toss a ball straight up, it travels skyward until gravity pulls it back down.

The word captures that specific feeling of looking up or moving up. A bird soaring skyward rises through the air with powerful wingbeats. A skyscraper reaches skyward, stretching hundreds of feet above the ground. Mountain peaks point skyward, their summits disappearing into the clouds.

You'll often see skyward used to describe both physical movement and the direction of someone's gaze. When something catches your attention overhead, maybe a plane or a shooting star, your eyes turn skyward. The word suggests wonder and aspiration, that natural human impulse to look up and imagine what's possible beyond our immediate surroundings.