backward-looking
adjective
disapproving
: relating to the past : old-fashioned
backward-looking ideas/plans
Examples of backward-looking in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In recent years, Warsh has grown increasingly critical of the Fed, arguing that the institution has become excessively focused on backward-looking economic data rather than anticipating changes, Deutsche Bank analysts said in a December 15 report.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Powell was also asked about whether the Fed’s economic models focused too much on backward-looking data and don’t incorporate game-changing developments like AI.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
By contrast, the United States relies on backward-looking indicators such as trade balances and foreign direct investment flows.
—Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Yet the stock’s reaction to earnings has remained uniformly positive, suggesting investors have been more focused on forward commentary and positioning than backward-looking results, the Wall Street research firm said.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
This backward-looking bias is especially dangerous at times of disruption, precisely when organizations need leaders who can learn, adapt, and reinvent themselves.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
In a restaurant town flooded with Frenchness, Chateau Royale offers a welcome sense of cheeky self-awareness, with a backward-looking menu that embraces all the Gallic pomp and dairy fat of an earlier age.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
However, others believe the backward-looking data will do little to ease current concerns about the employment situation, which continues to exhibit signs of difficulty.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
That’s especially true when compared with the director’s usual, backward-looking fare, which has dominated his oeuvre during the past two decades.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
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Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Powell was also asked about whether the Fed’s economic models focused too much on backward-looking data and don’t incorporate game-changing developments like AI.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
By contrast, the United States relies on backward-looking indicators such as trade balances and foreign direct investment flows.
—Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Yet the stock’s reaction to earnings has remained uniformly positive, suggesting investors have been more focused on forward commentary and positioning than backward-looking results, the Wall Street research firm said.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
This backward-looking bias is especially dangerous at times of disruption, precisely when organizations need leaders who can learn, adapt, and reinvent themselves.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
In a restaurant town flooded with Frenchness, Chateau Royale offers a welcome sense of cheeky self-awareness, with a backward-looking menu that embraces all the Gallic pomp and dairy fat of an earlier age.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
However, others believe the backward-looking data will do little to ease current concerns about the employment situation, which continues to exhibit signs of difficulty.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
That’s especially true when compared with the director’s usual, backward-looking fare, which has dominated his oeuvre during the past two decades.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backward-looking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backward-looking. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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