as in countryside
usually backlands plural
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
they purposely vacationed in the backlands to get away from people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backland
But more migrants, moving farther into remote backlands to elude the Border Patrol, have died in scorching desert heat, a shameful indicator that enforcement is having an effect in many places.
—
Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
His protagonist, living in direst poverty in Brazil’s arid backlands, decides to migrate to the wealthier coast.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2019
Born in the arid backlands of Brazil’s north-east, Mr Gilberto arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 as a singer in one of the then-fashionable vocal ensembles.
—The Economist, 11 July 2019
Tucked in the emerald backlands of Fayetteville, Georgia, inside a cavernous soundstage at Pinewood Studios, Mara Brock-Akil is in full field marshall mode.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 19 June 2018
Patrícia Santos da Silva, 24, and her family live in the city of Santana do Ipanema, in the western backlands of Alagoas.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Nov. 2017
Some escaped and formed clandestine communities in the backlands of the rainforest, independent villages known as quilombos.
—Smithsonian, 21 Sep. 2017
Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
His protagonist, living in direst poverty in Brazil’s arid backlands, decides to migrate to the wealthier coast.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2019
Born in the arid backlands of Brazil’s north-east, Mr Gilberto arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 as a singer in one of the then-fashionable vocal ensembles.
—The Economist, 11 July 2019
Tucked in the emerald backlands of Fayetteville, Georgia, inside a cavernous soundstage at Pinewood Studios, Mara Brock-Akil is in full field marshall mode.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 19 June 2018
Patrícia Santos da Silva, 24, and her family live in the city of Santana do Ipanema, in the western backlands of Alagoas.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Nov. 2017
Some escaped and formed clandestine communities in the backlands of the rainforest, independent villages known as quilombos.
—Smithsonian, 21 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backland
Noun
-
On highways and surface roads in the rural countryside west of Detroit, the 2025 Ford Explorer was smooth and quiet, with plenty of power for highway acceleration.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Forty-five minutes later, the racetrack appears almost without warning — coiled like a basking viper in the Tuscan countryside.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Messages Robinson is believed to have sent on Discord stated a need to retrieve a rifle from a pick-up point, leaving the rifle in a bush, watching the area where a rifle was left and having wrapped the rifle in a towel, according to the affidavit.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Jurors saw some wobbling footage that appeared to be taken from inside a bush, though prosecutors did not explicitly make clear if the footage was taken from Routh's perch.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But in the post-Grand Slam hinterland, with many top players resting, there are always opportunities for players on the rise.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
But in 2007, Israeli intelligence serendipitously stumbled on evidence of a Syrian nuclear reactor—a miniature replica of North Korea’s Yongbyon facility—that was housed in a nondescript, aboveground complex in the hinterland near the Euphrates River.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Walmart’s growth, coupled with investments from Walton and her family, has turned this former backwater into a heartland hotspot, known for mountain biking trails, a thriving art scene, and one of the country’s fastest-growing populations.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 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
Noun
-
Neural highways that once buzzed with activity are becoming quiet country roads, rarely traveled and slowly overgrown.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
This administration is trying to thrust our country into turmoil in order to reap power for themselves.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Brothers Nathan and Bub Bright meet for the first time in months at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The event took competitors on a 3,000-kilometer (around 1,864-mile) journey across the Australian outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On Thursday, Tien Kung became the first humanoid robot to test running shoes in Beijing, opening a new frontier in sports product development.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
-
From Ozone Protection To Climate Action The next frontier is connecting ozone protection with climate action.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backland.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backland. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share