seek towards

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "seek towards" is not commonly used in written English and may sound awkward.
It can be used when indicating a direction or goal, but "seek" alone is often sufficient. Example: "We should seek towards a solution that benefits everyone."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Professionalism is in sharp contrast to how managers have been depicted in the more "generic" management literature, where managers are described as individuals who seek towards management out of intrinsic motivation: "The management models in the private sector highlight characteristics like innovativeness, creativeness and competency in management.

BMC Health Services Research

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

It suggests that in dogs, selection for decreased "emotional reactivity" led to lower levels of fear and aggression, and higher interest and contact seeking towards humans, which in turn enabled canid cognitive skills to be applied in interspecific interactions [5] [7].

Plosone

In our third analysis, we attempted to disentangle help-seeking for mental health problems from somatic and psychosomatic conditions in adolescents' help-seeking towards each of the different health services listed.

BMC Public Health

The present study demonstrated that there was a shift from mentioning the specialist health care system as a place to seek help, towards mentioning the primary health care system as the preferred place to seek help.

BMC Public Health

"The UK will continue through our regular dialogue to seek rapid progress towards all international human rights standards and I urge further dialogue on the Chinese government to resolve the underlying issues in Tibet," the prime minister said.

The Guardian

In this paper, we seek to contribute towards clarifying how economic tools can be deployed to improve wildfire management and decrease fire risk within a context of economic scarcity and increasing forest fire risk.

Forest Policy and Economics

I truly believe that as human beings we naturally seek and gravitate towards each other.

Huffington Post

A moderate proposal like the Cassidy-Collins bill, said Nichols, kept too much of the ACA to have any place in leadership-led negotiations, currently seek to move towards the center from the right.

Vice

Restrictive hospital practices and often negative reactions from health practitioners lead women to seek a pathway towards achieving a VBAC and this often leads them to consider a HBAC.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

The inception of a new Research Programme to address London's health was taken by the UK Department of Health as an opportunity to develop and evaluate new approaches to commissioning that seek to move towards a more inclusive, effective and accountable process.

Health Research Policy and Systems

Despite this lack of a common framework, research investigating the nature and extent of help-seeking has tended to examine three broad aspects of help-seeking: attitudes towards help-seeking including beliefs or willingness to seek help, help-seeking intentions, and actual help-seeking behaviour.

BMC Psychiatry

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider using alternatives like "strive for", "aim for", or "work towards" to convey the intended meaning more effectively.

Common error

Avoid using "seek towards" when "seek" alone suffices. The addition of "towards" often creates unnecessary wordiness and can weaken the impact of your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "seek towards" functions as a verb phrase indicating an attempt to find or move in the direction of something. However, it is often considered redundant since the verb "seek" already implies direction or intent, as suggested by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

40%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while "seek towards" is understandable, it's generally considered less grammatically sound than simply using "seek". Ludwig highlights that "seek" already implies direction, making "towards" often redundant. Alternatives like "strive for", "aim for", or "work towards" may be more effective in certain contexts. Because it is less common and can sound awkward, it is best to simplify the phrase, according to Ludwig's analysis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

seek

Omits "towards", often making the sentence more concise and grammatically sound.

strive for

Emphasizes effort and determination in reaching a goal.

aim for

Highlights the intention to achieve something specific.

work towards

Focuses on the process and effort involved in moving towards a goal.

pursue

Implies actively following a course of action to achieve something.

aspire to

Suggests a strong desire and ambition to achieve something.

gravitate towards

Implies a natural inclination or tendency to move in a certain direction.

head towards

Indicates a direction or path being taken.

tend towards

Shows a predisposition or inclination.

move toward

Highlights the action of progressing in a direction.

FAQs

Is "seek towards" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "seek towards" is not considered standard English. It's generally more concise and grammatically sound to use just "seek".

What can I say instead of "seek towards"?

You can use alternatives like "strive for", "aim for", or "work towards" depending on the context.

How can I improve my writing by avoiding phrases like "seek towards"?

Focus on conciseness. Often, removing the "towards" after "seek" improves clarity. For example, "seek a resolution" is better than "seek towards a resolution".

What's the difference between "seek" and "seek towards"?

"Seek" implies searching for or trying to obtain something. Adding "towards" doesn't significantly change the meaning but often makes the phrase sound awkward and less direct.