phrasal verb / idiomatic (intransitive) · academic
look outward
UK/lʊk ˈaʊtwəd/US/lʊk ˈaʊtwɚd/LOOK OUT·ward
to focus on external factors or to pay attention to the wider environment
Examples
“Companies that look outward and adapt to global markets tend to survive longer.”
“Educational institutions must look outward for international collaboration opportunities.”
“Rather than only fixing internal problems, governments should look outward to global trends.”
Band 8 sentence
“A balanced strategy combines looking inward to fix weaknesses and looking outward to capitalise on global opportunities.”
Collocations
- look outward to opportunities
- look outward for trends
Word family
Common mistakes
use "look outward" when they mean "ignore internal problems"→use "look outward" to mean consider external factors while still addressing internal ones
Say it for a higher band
5pay attention to outside things→6consider external factors→7+look outward
Synonyms
consider external factors
be outward-looking
Easily confused
look outward
“To stay competitive, universities must look outward and engage with industry.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In look …
Learn it with its set