hinterland

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noun hin·ter·land \ ˈhin-tər-ˌland , -lənd \

Definition of hinterland

1 :a region lying inland from a coast

2 a :a region remote from urban areas

b :a region lying beyond major metropolitan or cultural centers

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Examples of hinterland in a Sentence

the colonies hugged the coastline, while the hinterland remained largely unexplored

Recent Examples of hinterland from the Web

Besides, many Indians, especially in the vast hinterlands, lack a bank account or have limited access to technology or the Internet, making digital payments inconvenient.

— Fortune, "India Banned Cash to Fight Corruption. It Didn’t Work," 28 Aug. 2017
Another mecca for jazz in the hinterlands is Easton, Pa., a town of 26,000 with three jazz clubs.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Jazz in the hinterlands: Out of the clubs and onto the farms," 17 Aug. 2017
To be sure, there were old estates along the waterfront and in the backcountry, and artists and writers had been putting down roots in the hinterland for decades.

— cullen murphy, Vanities, "When Fairfield County Was the Comic-Strip Capital of the World," 9 Aug. 2017
Hinterland in its 2008 Journal Sentinel review received 3½ stars for its progressive and masterful cooking.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub closes," 9 Aug. 2017
Since 1967, Israel has increasingly cut off east Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland, leaving the city's Arab residents without a political leadership.

— Bloomberg.com, "Israel Limits Muslim Access to Jerusalem Site Amid Tensions," 21 July 2017
Since 1967, Israel has increasingly cut off east Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland, leaving the city's Arab residents without a political leadership.

— mohammed daragmeh and karin laub, chicagotribune.com, "3 Palestinians, 3 Israelis killed in violence over holy site," 21 July 2017
Despite these gestures toward a more global profile, Kazakhstan remains, for many, a huge blank on the map somewhere between Russia and China, essentially a hinterland.

— michelle weber, Longreads, "The Re-Kazakhification of Kazakhstan, On Horseback," 11 July 2017
Kelly herself is not someone who can be easily let go, shunted off to the hinterland.

— sarah ellison, The Hive, "Megyn Kelly, Matt Lauer, and the Battle for the Future of NBC," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hinterland.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

When you're dealing with geography, it helps to know your hinterland from your umland. In 1888, geographer George Chisholm borrowed the German word Hinterland (literally, "land in back of") and applied it specifically to the region just inland from a port or coastal settlement. (Chisholm spelled the word hinderland, but English speakers eventually settled on "hinterland.") Early in the 20th century, another geographer adopted the German Umland ("land around") to refer to the territory around an inland town. What "hinterland" and "umland" have in common is a reference to a region economically tied to a nearby city. But nowadays "hinterland" has a less technical use as well; it's used for land that's simply out in the sticks.