backward

[ bak-werd ]

/ ˈbæk wərd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR backward ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb Also back·wards.

toward the back or rear.

with the back foremost.

in the reverse of the usual or right way: counting backward from 100.

toward the past: to look backward over one's earlier mistakes.

toward a less advanced state; retrogressively: Since the overthrow of the president the country has moved steadily backward.

adjective

directed toward the back or past.

reversed; returning: a backward movement; a backward journey.

behind in time or progress; late; slow: a backward learner; a backward country.

bashful or hesitant; shy: a backward lover.

Idioms for backward

backward and forward, thoroughly: He knew his lesson backward and forward. Also backwards and forwards.

Origin of backward

First recorded in 1250–1300, backward is from the Middle English word bakwarde. See back¹, -ward

SYNONYMS FOR backward

8 tardy; retarded, underdeveloped.

9 disinclined; timid, retiring.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR backward ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR backward

1 forward.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR backward ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM backward

back·ward·ly, adverb back·ward·ness, noun un·back·ward, adjective

Words nearby backward

backsword, backswordman, backtrack, backup, backup light, backward, backward and forward, backward heart failure, backwardation, backwards, backwash

Example sentences from the Web for backwardness

To some, this will look like progress, a move away from the backwardness of rural life.

Tibet’s Ticking Time Bomb |Kapil Komireddi |January 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It gives you the sense of the forwardness of history as well as the backwardness.

Archbishop Pitches on Youtube For More Souls As He Prepares To Christen George |Tom Sykes |October 22, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
A palpable desolation—and the feeling of what the Chinese call luohou, or backwardness—hangs in the air.

Ghosts in the Machine: The Story of China’s Rural Migrants and Their Uncertain Future |Ross Perlin |December 10, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
But the true secret of their backwardness was to be sought for in the six-shooters, one of which I now held in each hand.

The Bandolero |Mayne Reid

She is in apprehension of an amourousness which I despair of displaying; I am ashamed of a backwardness which is her only comfort.

The King's Mirror |Anthony Hope
The backwardness of the Factory Act in these and some other matters is almost inconceivable.

Women in Modern Industry |B. L. Hutchins
To this may be ascribed in great measure the extreme poverty and backwardness of many of those provinces at the present day.

Buenos Ayres and the Provinces of the Rio de La Plata |Woodbine Parish
But there are other factors which also contribute to the backwardness of domestic engineering.

Household Administration |Various

British Dictionary definitions for backwardness

backward

/ (ˈbækwəd) /

adjective

(usually prenominal) directed towards the rear a backward glance

retarded in physical, material, or intellectual development backward countries; a backward child

of or relating to the past; conservative or reactionary
(in combination)backward-looking

reluctant or bashful a backward lover

chess (of a pawn) behind neighbouring pawns and unable to be supported by them

adverb

a variant of backwards

Derived forms of backward

backwardly, adverb backwardness, noun

Idioms and Phrases with backwardness

backward

In addition to the idiom beginning with backward

backward and forward

also see:

bend over backward
fall over (backwards)
know like a book (backwards and forwards)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

backward

adverb Also back·wards.

adjective

Idioms for backward

Origin of backward

SYNONYMS FOR backward

ANTONYMS FOR backward

OTHER WORDS FROM backward

Words nearby backward

Example sentences from the Web for backwardness

British Dictionary definitions for backwardness

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of backward

Idioms and Phrases with backwardness

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

backward

adverb Also back·wards.

adjective

Idioms for backward

Origin of backward

SYNONYMS FOR backward

ANTONYMS FOR backward

OTHER WORDS FROM backward

Words nearby backward

Words related to backwardness

Example sentences from the Web for backwardness

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for backwardness

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of backward

Idioms and Phrases with backwardness

British Dictionary definitions for backwardness