backward-looking

adjective

Definition of backward-lookingnext
as in nostalgic

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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 backward-looking The backward-looking sound sometimes pushes the band toward exciting switch-ups. — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026 Since the 2008 financial crisis, virtually every major piece of legislation – from Dodd-Frank to subsequent banking reforms – has been backward-looking, designed to address past crises rather than prepare for the next frontier. — Patrick McHenry, Fortune, 16 July 2026 Jeremy Porter, chief economist at First Street, said the backward-looking models are not correcting for climate and for all the sources of risk. — Diana Olick, CNBC, 18 June 2026 As a result, Moyn says, the country’s fate and character are being determined not by forward-looking people in their youth or their prime but by backward-looking ones in the final third of their lives. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for backward-looking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backward-looking
  1. nostalgic
  2. retrospective
  3. introspective
  4. philosophical
  5. analytic
Adjective
  • The latest revival gained serious momentum on Miu Miu’s Fall/Winter 2026 runway, where models wore nostalgic zigzag headbands reminiscent of the ones Lizzie McGuire made iconic in the early aughts.
    — Alyssa Rotunno, InStyle, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The rates also drop at the historic Sea Island Resort, which offers a variety of accommodations—ranging from The Cloister to private cottages—along with nostalgic specialty sundaes, Sunday bingo, and a world-class spa.
    — Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of nostalgic
Adjective
  • If intervention can only happen after the agent has acted, the oversight is retrospective.
    — Claude Mandy, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The release will also include Malcolm McDowell retrospective screenings at select theatres, including at NYC’s Cinema 1, 2, 3 where A Clockwork Orange originally premiered.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of retrospective
Adjective
  • The introspective movie centers on four classmates setting out to find the body of a boy who went missing in the woods.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The red planet doesn’t care to journey through this Water sign — given its introspective and emotional nature — but that doesn’t mean it can’t be harnessed correctly.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of introspective
Adjective
  • But in this blue collar, factory-like environment, there was no blurred line, no grey area, no philosophical question to fret over.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
  • That’s an ambitious philosophical proposition in an era increasingly dominated by information, algorithms and artificial intelligence.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • Whether the church’s assertions withstand analytic scrutiny is a different question.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
  • American healthcare is the clearest case, because no sector has more data or more analytical firepower per dollar of output.
    — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of analytic

Browse Nearby Words

backward
backward-looking
backwash
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Cite this Entry

“Backward-looking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backward-looking. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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