variants
or backwards
1
a
: toward the back or rear
She glanced backward over her shoulder.
b
: with the back foremost
Take three steps backward.
2
a
: in a reverse or contrary direction or way
Count backward from 10.
b
: toward the past
a journey backward in time
c
: toward a worse state
His new job felt like a step backward.
1
a
: directed or turned toward the back
a backward glance
b
: done or executed backward
a backward somersault
3
: less advanced in development or accomplishment than what is typical or expected
… said he felt the news media had given Jasper the image of a backward country town.—
Eli Rosenberg and Lindsey Bever
Eli Rosenberg and Lindsey Bever
backwardly
adverb
backwardness
noun
: the part behind or past
… the dark backward … of time …—Shakespeare
ShakespeareSynonyms
Adverb
Adjective
Examples of backward in a Sentence
Adverb
a sudden movement backward, not forward
I heard a noise behind me and glanced backward.
He pushed the throttle backward.
She took a small step backward.
a journey backward in time
The narrative moves backward and forward in time.
Adjective
a technologically backward village that has no running water
a backward turn on ice skates is hard to learn because you can't see where you're going
Recent Examples on the WebEssence, 22 Apr. 2024
It can also be controlled via a Bluetooth app and even responds to voice commands to go forward, backward, or stop.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Apr. 2024
For a scene on The Racer roller coaster, a camera was temporarily mounted to the front of the car, facing backward for a reaction shot.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 19 Apr. 2024
Bend knees slightly, and with abs engaged and glutes tight, take four steps forward, and then four steps backward.
—Rozalynn S. Frazier, Health, 19 Apr. 2024
There are four years remaining until the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — lots of time to prepare for the international sports event — but local organizers appeared to take a step backward this week.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
And, while the turbo roundabout has a history of making intersections safer throughout Europe, here the Scandinavian rotary has led to confusion among some drivers who have been seen entering the intersection backward, hopping over lane dividers, and cutting through yield signs.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
As the weather warms and the days turn into weeks, your former shining star of a hanging plant starts the inevitable march backward.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 12 Apr. 2024
In these cases, an infected cell started copying a viral genome only to reverse partway through and then copy the genome backward to its starting point.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Tom Warren, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
Standardize Formats For Data Exchange Plan for versioning from the beginning, and use version numbers in the URI or headers to enable backward compatibility and smooth transitions when introducing new features or changes.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Was this her backward way of making Caro feel comfortable?
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
On her way out of the hall, Chani gives one of those backward glances to Paul that Zendaya does so frequently in the new movies.
—Max Evry, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
There are rounded backs and deep pliés, the kind that help a surfer get up on a board, as well as punchy unison moments that involve, repeatedly, pulled up knees with a backward lean and a hulking step forward.
—Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
This idea of off-ness is expressed in ways ranging from gentle (backward collars) to more extreme deconstructions.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
The backward situation is going to increase until a moment when no one knows what will happen.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
Decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Cold War ideology continues to form Western perceptions of the Eastern Bloc as a backward region, uniformly totalitarian, where everybody was either an apparatchik or a dissident.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Sanjay Datta, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2023
Then laughs from the back of the room while Paul sat with his hat on backward, chin up and a slight smirk.
—Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
Complete 20 shoulder rolls—10 forward and 10 backward—to ease soreness and stiffness in the neck and shoulder area.
—Mara Santilli, SELF, 11 Jan. 2023
Until Young flailed backward and officials whistled Doncic, again.
—Dallas News, 6 Feb. 2022
The miniature snake-in-a-backward-baseball-cap Yahama Ami.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 26 Nov. 2022
Seconds later, the recording shows the mountain lion pounce from behind and wrest Piper backward.
—Susanne Ruststaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2022
Pullease then turns and grabs the officer by the neck while pushing her backward, the edited video released by the department shows.
—Melissa Alonso, CNN, 25 July 2022
When a claim is more general (e.g., a claim such as suppliers involved in making the garment treat their workers well), it can be ascertained through traceability data after it’s been produced (product-backward).
—Madhava Venkatesh Raghavan, Forbes, 2 June 2022
Adverb
The soles feature a slight wave detail while the swoosh on both sides of the shoe is placed backward, a signature of Scott’s previous Jordan designs.
—Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
It can also be controlled via a Bluetooth app and even responds to voice commands to go forward, backward, or stop.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Apr. 2024
For a scene on The Racer roller coaster, a camera was temporarily mounted to the front of the car, facing backward for a reaction shot.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 19 Apr. 2024
Bend knees slightly, and with abs engaged and glutes tight, take four steps forward, and then four steps backward.
—Rozalynn S. Frazier, Health, 19 Apr. 2024
There are four years remaining until the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — lots of time to prepare for the international sports event — but local organizers appeared to take a step backward this week.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
And, while the turbo roundabout has a history of making intersections safer throughout Europe, here the Scandinavian rotary has led to confusion among some drivers who have been seen entering the intersection backward, hopping over lane dividers, and cutting through yield signs.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
As the weather warms and the days turn into weeks, your former shining star of a hanging plant starts the inevitable march backward.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 12 Apr. 2024
In these cases, an infected cell started copying a viral genome only to reverse partway through and then copy the genome backward to its starting point.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Choudhry was also key to Xbox’s backward compatibility support and helped bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to life as xCloud in 2019.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
Standardize Formats For Data Exchange Plan for versioning from the beginning, and use version numbers in the URI or headers to enable backward compatibility and smooth transitions when introducing new features or changes.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Was this her backward way of making Caro feel comfortable?
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
On her way out of the hall, Chani gives one of those backward glances to Paul that Zendaya does so frequently in the new movies.
—Max Evry, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
There are rounded backs and deep pliés, the kind that help a surfer get up on a board, as well as punchy unison moments that involve, repeatedly, pulled up knees with a backward lean and a hulking step forward.
—Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
This idea of off-ness is expressed in ways ranging from gentle (backward collars) to more extreme deconstructions.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
The backward situation is going to increase until a moment when no one knows what will happen.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
Decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Cold War ideology continues to form Western perceptions of the Eastern Bloc as a backward region, uniformly totalitarian, where everybody was either an apparatchik or a dissident.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
In the weeks ahead, when the pundits are debating how to interpret the latest holiday spending numbers, keep in mind that one half-step backward may be the key to sticking a soft landing.
—Sanjay Datta, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2023
Then laughs from the back of the room while Paul sat with his hat on backward, chin up and a slight smirk.
—Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
Complete 20 shoulder rolls—10 forward and 10 backward—to ease soreness and stiffness in the neck and shoulder area.
—Mara Santilli, SELF, 11 Jan. 2023
Until Young flailed backward and officials whistled Doncic, again.
—Dallas News, 6 Feb. 2022
The miniature snake-in-a-backward-baseball-cap Yahama Ami.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 26 Nov. 2022
Seconds later, the recording shows the mountain lion pounce from behind and wrest Piper backward.
—Susanne Ruststaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2022
Pullease then turns and grabs the officer by the neck while pushing her backward, the edited video released by the department shows.
—Melissa Alonso, CNN, 25 July 2022
When a claim is more general (e.g., a claim such as suppliers involved in making the garment treat their workers well), it can be ascertained through traceability data after it’s been produced (product-backward).
—Madhava Venkatesh Raghavan, Forbes, 2 June 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to backward
Dictionary Entries Near backward
Cite this Entry
“Backward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backward. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backward
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: directed or turned toward the back
a backward glance
b
: done backward
3
: slow in learning or development
backward nations
backwardly
adverb
backwardness
noun
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