throwback

1 of 2

noun

throw·​back ˈthrō-ˌbak 

1

: one that is suggestive of or suited to an earlier time or style

his manners were a throwback to a more polite era

2

a

: reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism

b

: an instance or product of atavistic reversion

throw back

2 of 2

verb

threw back; thrown back; throwing back; throws back

transitive verb

1

: to delay the progress or advance of : check

2

: to cause to rely : make dependent

they are thrown back upon … native intelligence

—Michael Novak

3

: reflect

intransitive verb

: to revert to an earlier type or phase

Examples of throwback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Already in July she’s done Short Bandana (okay, that was a throwback), and now this glossy lewk. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 8 July 2025

This, then, was Oasis in the raw, a throwback to their unstoppable ascent in much smaller venues than this rather than the enormo-dome gigs of their latter years. —Mark Sutherland, Variety, 4 July 2025

As a whole, this is a cozy throwback that’s just edgy enough to send a chill down your spine on a cold evening. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 3 July 2025

Swaggart’s strutting, sweaty, fire-and-brimstone style was a throwback to earlier eras of evangelism, a seeming rejection of the slicker, smiling approach popularized in the 1980s by fellow televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and Jerry Falwell. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for throwback

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback

Kids Definition

throwback

noun

throw·​back ˈthrō-ˌbak 

: something that has changed back to an earlier type or phase

Medical Definition

throwback

noun

throw·​back ˈthrō-ˌbak 

1

: reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism

2

: an instance or product of atavistic reversion