Thesaurus results for BACKLAND

backland

noun

ˈbak-ˌland

Definition of backland

as in countryside

usually backlands plural a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country they purposely vacationed in the backlands to get away from people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of backland But more migrants, moving farther into remote backlands to elude the Border Patrol, have died in scorching desert heat, a shameful indicator that enforcement is having an effect in many places. — Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024 His protagonist, living in direst poverty in Brazil’s arid backlands, decides to migrate to the wealthier coast. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2019 Born in the arid backlands of Brazil’s north-east, Mr Gilberto arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 as a singer in one of the then-fashionable vocal ensembles. — The Economist, 11 July 2019 Tucked in the emerald backlands of Fayetteville, Georgia, inside a cavernous soundstage at Pinewood Studios, Mara Brock-Akil is in full field marshall mode. — Jason Parham, WIRED, 19 June 2018 Patrícia Santos da Silva, 24, and her family live in the city of Santana do Ipanema, in the western backlands of Alagoas. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Nov. 2017 Some escaped and formed clandestine communities in the backlands of the rainforest, independent villages known as quilombos. — Smithsonian, 21 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backland

Noun

Three Houthi officials said the rebel group controls roughly 80% of the countryside surrounding Taiz and several key neighborhoods inside the city.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The group now runs 15 hotels throughout Europe, including city hotels in Paris, London, and Venice, countryside estates in the Cotswolds and Biarritz, mountain chalets in Verbier and Val d’Isère, and seaside resorts in Ibiza and Menorca.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of countryside

Noun

Butler said there seemed to be no warning before the man was tossed into nearby bushes.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Inspired by imagery in the folkloric tome Grimms’ Fairy Tales, the lights mimic thorny bushes like blackthorn and rose, both used in witchcraft.

— Francesca Perry, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of bush

Noun

The cosmonauts plonked down on November 19th, 1965 in the Midlands market town of Rugby, a cultural backwater best known for the sport, the school, and wartime poet Rupert Brooke, in that order.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Navigate the biodiverse backwaters of Choctawhatchee Bay or visit Destin, the perfect beach town for kiteboarding and snorkeling.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of backwater

Noun

There is no evidence that foreign countries intentionally emptied prisons or mental institutions and sent people to the United States.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
State judges who take these cases look for proof that applicants cannot safely return to their home country, have been abused, abandoned or neglected by one or both parents, and that reunification with a parent is not possible.

— Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of country

Noun

But unlike most Israeli expatriates, his return voyage was a 10,000-mile, 30-plus-hour odyssey from a remote sheep station in the Australian outback to his village in the Galilee, in northern Israel.

— Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Oct. 2026
Miami Beach, once an outback on the map of the international art world, is now able to make an argument for itself as a cultural hub.

— Brian Boucher for Artnet News, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of outback

Noun

Away from the final frontier, Mark can be found walking his dog along the country lanes of England’s Cotswolds.

— Mark Piesing, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026
The trade is wobbling as concerns about frontier model profitability, capital expenditures, corporate cash balances, debt levels among smaller cloud companies and macroeconomic factors weigh on investor confidence.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026