landward

Landward is an adjective and adverb meaning toward the land from a reference point near the coast or from the sea toward the shore. It is used to describe direction, orientation, or positioning relative to the shoreline and is the counterpart of seaward, which denotes movement toward the open sea.

In nautical, coastal engineering, and surveying contexts, landward designates the inland side of a structure or the direction toward the shore. For example, the landward face of a seawall faces the land, and landward approaches or zones are closer to the coast. The term helps distinguish from seaward elements and from inland areas, though in some regions shoreward or inland may be used interchangeably depending on established practice.

Etymologically, landward derives from land plus the directional suffix -ward, similar to other directional terms formed with -ward. The word is common in technical vocabulary related to coastlines, harbors, fortifications, and landward approaches in planning and description.

Related terms include seaward, shoreward, inland, and coastal engineering vocabulary. Usage is most precise when the reference point (land, sea, shore) is clear.