in reverse vs rearward

in reverse

prep
  • Of a motion, sequence, etc.: backwards; reversed. 

  • Of a motor car: in reverse gear. 

rearward

adj
  • Toward the back or rear of something. 

noun
  • The last troop; the rear of an army; a rear guard. 

  • The part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up. 

adv
  • Toward the back or rear of something. 

How often have the words in reverse and rearward occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )