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
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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
-
About a bunch of incredibly good-looking people having a great time in the Italian countryside, the film stars Branagh, Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Keaton, Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
-
Hike to its summit for panoramic views of the coastline and countryside.—
Carrie Coolidge,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
In November, when the trees and bushes around the home were bare, police returned to search the surrounding area but again could not find her.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2025
-
The British soldiers fought in red uniforms with orderly precision and methodical execution; Marion fought in camouflage from trees and bushes.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Oklahoma City and Indianapolis are out-of-the-way markets, their stars don’t move the needle, a Finals in the (supposed) hinterlands will send the national TV ratings into the tank, etc.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Having set up this backwater office where nothing ever happens and then bring death to the door was a brilliant stroke.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
17 June 2025
-
In 2001, Michael Dorrell volunteered to move from the Sydney headquarters of Australian investment bank Macquarie to a backwater in its infrastructure investing specialty: the United States of America.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Republican president earlier told reporters that the U.S. was soon preparing to send letters to different countries, informing them of the new tariff rate his administration would impose on them.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 June 2025
-
Globally, several countries are reportedly considering nationwide bans on cellphones during school hours.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
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
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In northeastern Australia, more than a year’s worth of rain fell in just one week in March, kicking off rare flooding and a massive transformation throughout the country’s arid outback.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, former head of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab and a founder of iRobot, knows from decades of building real-world applications from frontier technologies, that to be widely adopted, even the most clever tools must leave room for humans.—
Gabriel Snyder,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
Retirement, commonly referred to as the golden years, is the final frontier.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backland.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backland. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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