on or toward a surface regarded as a base
"he lay face downward"
"the downward pull of gravity"
Moving, sloping or oriented downward.
"The hikers carefully navigated the steep, downward slope to reach the valley floor safely."
In plain English: Downward means moving toward the ground or lower down.
"The downward trend in sales worried the company managers."
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
"don't fall down"
"rode the lift up and skied down"
"prices plunged downward"
Toward a lower level, whether in physical space, in a hierarchy, or in amount or value.
"The stock market experienced a sharp downward trend after the unexpected news broke."
In plain English: Downward means moving toward the ground or lower position.
"The ball rolled downward to the floor."
Usage: Use "downward" to describe the direction of movement or change rather than as an adjective modifying a noun; for example, say "a downward trend" instead of "the downward market." Avoid confusing it with "downwards," which is less common in American English and often sounds redundant.
From down + -ward.