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
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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
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
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My earliest memories are of a huge accordion in front of me while the musicians, who passed through my house – my father, who was a manager of musicians coming from the countryside of Argentina to Buenos Aires, always hosted them – played and rehearsed nearby.—
DAVID BURKE,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
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On paper, it could be pitched as a Hungarian Blair Witch Project meets Insidious, using a faux-documentary device to explore a case of demonic possession among a group of outsiders living in the countryside.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
Noun
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In 2018, the country industry's Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville — the final resting place of George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Porter Wagoner among many others — created the Lynn Anderson Rose Garden, consisting of over 100 hybrid tea rose bushes.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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For example, animals learn that a photo of hands (A) is correct when paired with a classroom (B), a classroom (B) is correct when paired with bushes (C), bushes (C) are correct when paired with a highway (D), and a highway (D) is correct when paired with a sunset (E).—
Olga Lazareva,
The Conversation,
1 July 2025
Noun
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On the opposite shore of the lake, the Venetian denomination Bardolino DOC extends on the morainic hills of the hinterland.—
Elisabetta Tosi,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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The film gathers immoral cops, ruthless women and corrupt politicians to complete the world of populist cinema based in hinterlands of India.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Vigilant doctors and public health experts in charge of government policy mostly kept the anti-vaxxers relegated to the darker corners of medical discussion, and later to the backwaters of social media.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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But the state’s chronically high electric rates combined with the disappearance of trust between regulators and utilities has transformed PURA from political backwater to lightning rod and Republican criticism of Lamont’s decision was immediate.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
30 June 2025
Noun
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All of the other letters were similar, telling countries that the new tariffs were intended to rectify trade imbalances with the U.S. The letter to Brazil, however, was about Brazilian politics.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
9 July 2025
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Trump, Netanyahu look to relocate Palestinians to other countries.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Carolina Wilga, a German backpacker, was found alive after spending 12 days missing in the remote outback of Western Australia, according to local authorities.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
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This mismatch in the data between the different antennas caused the blur, so to remove it, the researchers eliminated the signal coming from the outer antennas to favor only the inner part of the telescope, which is spread out over about 2.3 square miles in the Australian outback.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
30 June 2025
Noun
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As the sport heads into a new frontier with revenue sharing, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes wants to clean up college football.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 July 2025
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And that, for every forward-thinking business leader, opens an entirely new frontier.—
Ashar Samdani,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backland.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backland. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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