{
    "term": "downward",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "moving or pointing towards a lower level",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the downward slope of a hill"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the downward trend in inflation"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was trapped in a **downward spiral** *(= continuous increase)* of personal unhappiness."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The business was on a downward path, finally closing in 2019."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Subsidence is the downward movement of a site on which a building stands."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Change, cause and effect"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdaʊnwəd/",
                "audio": "do/downward/downward__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdaʊnwərd/",
                "audio": "do/downward/downward__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: shortening of Old English adūnweard."
}