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 Although Hal’s remit encompasses the entire interplanetary backwater that includes Earth, Lanterns takes place mostly in the rural American town of Rushville, Neb. — Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 Without the aid of cold water, officials are electrofishing and netting in the river to remove invasives, and are considering dosing some sloughs and backwaters in the first miles below the dam with fish-killing chemicals. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Fully restored to its original glory, the mansion is located on the banks of the backwaters of Kerala, and is only accessible by boat from the mainland. — Rumit Mehta, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026 The movie goes from this weird, seedy love motel to the industrial backwaters, and these long walks and talks down empty streets. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for backwater

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater

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

The dispute unfolds as North Korea fortifies the already heavily armed frontier and both sides trade accusations, with diplomacy stalled and Seoul’s military vowing a firm response.

— Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Monetizing the Muse The results also come a week after Meta’s Superintelligence Labs launched Muse Wonder to the public, its first frontier model, and a little over a month since Meta released its Muse virtual assistant.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of frontier

Noun

Just before dusk, four or five does walked under the tree, and then a four-point buck followed, stopping beneath me to rub his antlers on a bush.

— Al Dawson, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Tortoises routinely seek shade under dense bushes, vanish into mangroves, or shelter from the scorching equatorial sun.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of bush

Noun

On foreign policy, Lula has worked to boost the political influence of countries in the Global South as a founding member of the BRICS group, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa.

— Catherine Osborn, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who has spent more than four hundred million dollars on Republican campaigns this election cycle, slowed Ukraine’s access to his Starshield satellite network, leaving that country more vulnerable to Russian attacks.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of country

Noun

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
In the sparsely populated Australian outback, help takes time to arrive.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of outback

Browse Nearby Words

backwashes

backwater

backwoods

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“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of backwater

noun

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