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)
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
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
And has done so with the kind of diffidence that can only come from a lifetime in the sports backwaters.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2025
There are endless shallow backwaters along the river to explore and there’s plenty of big water out there, too (Lake Winnieshek, for example, is almost two miles wide in places).
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
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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
And has done so with the kind of diffidence that can only come from a lifetime in the sports backwaters.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2025
There are endless shallow backwaters along the river to explore and there’s plenty of big water out there, too (Lake Winnieshek, for example, is almost two miles wide in places).
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backwater. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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