Thesaurus results for BACKWATER

backwater

noun

ˈbak-ˌwȯ-tər

Definition of backwater

as in countryside

a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time

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 backwater Thoughtfully constructed in 2002 to honor the natural environment, the Murphy River Walk traces the banks of the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers, where the two rivers converge to create the backwaters of Lake Hiwassee. — Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 26 May 2026 Even the foundations of today’s artificial intelligence boom were laid by the NSF in the 1980s and 1990s, when neural networks were a backwater dismissed by mainstream computer science. — Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026 For decades, seabed cartography was a scientific backwater. — Natalie Sum Yue Chung, Fortune, 3 May 2026 Bolon also warned drivers about the difference between backwater flooding upstream and rushing water. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backwater

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater

Noun

After the bright lights of the Tour, Vollering returned to the countryside this week.

— Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Boring into the ground is a lot easier on an empty lot in the countryside than on a station platform built in 1913.

— Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of countryside

Noun

Addressing thousands of officials and delegates at the Great Hall of the People, Xi portrayed China as a country that was facing tough times, but one that would emerge unscathed.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
However, no other peer country separates the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine as the president has now ordered.

— Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of country

Noun

In the blizzardy hinterlands, boredom is driving two soldiers mad, and a stranger’s arrival only underscores the futility of the war’s propaganda.

— Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
Putin began a neo-imperialist land grab, seizing territory around Russia’s hinterlands.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026

Definition of hinterland

Noun

Sydney Harbor will offer the latter, but eclipse chasers will head to remote areas of the Australian outback for the former.

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Broken Hill Those traveling between Sydney and Adelaide will stop at this outback mining town, which has some of the world’s largest silver, lead, and zinc mineral deposits.

— Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026

Definition of outback

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backwashes

backwater

backwoods

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“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of backwater

noun

Example Sentences

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