backwater

noun

back·​wa·​ter ˈbak-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

1

a

: water backed up in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current, or the tide

b

: a body of water (such as an inlet or tributary) that is out of the main current of a larger body

2

a

: an isolated or backward place or condition

b

: an unpopular or unimportant field (as of study or business)

Synonyms

• backcountry
• backland(s)
• backwoods
• bush
• frontier
• hinterland
• outback
• outlands
• up-country

Examples of backwater in a Sentence

The once sleepy backwater is now a thriving city.

a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time

Recent Examples on the Web

This imagined America is studded with names borrowed from the real one: St. Louis might be a mere backwater, but T. S. Eliot is still among its locals. —The New Yorker, 12 June 2024

In 1923, avid fisherman Will Dilg learned of a plan to drain the Mississippi River's backwater sloughs near Lansing, Iowa, to turn into farmland. —Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2024

The Western Roman Empire would go on to become something of a decaying backwater, while the eastern half of the empire — known by historians as the Byzantine Empire — flourished for another thousand years and more. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024

Before Xi came to power, in 2012, Beijing had mostly treated Hong Kong as a backwater. —Jane Perlez, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

backwater

noun

back·​wa·​ter ˈbak-ˌwȯt-ər 

-ˌwät-

1

: water held or turned back from its course

2

: a backward place or condition