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 backward

There has been a lot of talk about leaning forward and backward.

Whither the Women’s Movement? |Judith Barnett |July 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Backward, backward, backward Ghana ran, and frantically…toward its own endangered goal.

Stars and Stripes 2, Black Stars 1: Team USA Takes a Win From Ghana |Tunku Varadarajan |June 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Founders—so backward in their attitudes on race—launched the republic on the basis of religious tolerance.

Six Catholics, Three Jews and Not Much Memory at the Supreme Court |Jonathan Alter |May 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So finding that, and finding the arrangement that was forward and backward at once, was difficult.

Interview: T Bone Burnett, the Coen Brothers’ Music Guru |Andrew Romano |December 13, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

Authoritarianism And Backward Priorities There does not need to be a HealthCare.gov, and there need be no state-run websites.

Obamacare’s Rollout Is a Disaster That Didn’t Have to Happen |Gregory Ferenstein |October 20, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The danger of this vice is, that the horse may fall backward and upon his rider.

The American Horsewoman |Elizabeth Karr
He crawled backward and forward, and he crawled forward and backward.

The Lost Prince |Frances Hodgson Burnett
There are a few cases in which the "backward sign" includes also the numeral in the second position.

An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs |Sylvanus Griswold Morley
The following preparatory exercises must be practiced forward and backward until the movements become natural, before proceeding.

The Fascinating Boston |Alfonso Josephs Sheafe
When in this position, the swimmers begin to turn backward, using the arms the same is in the backward (single) somersault.

Swimming Scientifically Taught |Frank Eugen Dalton and Louis C. Dalton

British Dictionary definitions for backward

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 backward

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 backward

British Dictionary definitions for backward

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of backward

Idioms and Phrases with backward

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 backward

Example sentences from the Web for backward

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

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of backward

Idioms and Phrases with backward

British Dictionary definitions for backward