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

• countryside
• backwoods
• frontier
• bush
• country
• hinterland
• outback
• up-country
• (the) back of beyond

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

Unlike Bacalar, which is relatively new to tourism, Tulum has been transformed from a sleepy backwater into a pumping party town. —Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025

Even so, Nazareth was far from an isolated backwater village. —Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025

Like certain heroines of Henry James, her favorite writer, Alice flaunted a chic that was notable in a backwater. —Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

The Israeli strike was a course correction for US foreign policy that has elevated Doha from a backwater to a global mediation center, Lee Smith writes in the conservative, pro-Israel Tablet Magazine. —Hadley Gamble, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 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