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

The setup is also familiar but effective: A water conflict on a backwater planet. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 12 May 2025

Who knew there’d be so many backwater swamps, potholes and detours on the road to making America great again. —Steve Lopez, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

The cultural divisions between them are strong but prove, in fact, to be inconsequential; some shared yearning for the world beyond their backwater town draws them ineluctably to one another. —Vivian Gornick, The Atlantic, 3 May 2025

Most botanists from the mid-19th century viewed their study as a research backwater. —Alla Katsnelson, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for backwater

• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater
• manslaughter

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