BACKWARD-LOOKING Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

backward-looking

adjective

Definition of backward-looking

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

Adjective

There’s something about the delicate strap detail that continues to charm fashion lovers and serves as the perfect footwear that’s both nostalgic and totally modern.

— Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 Sep. 2026
Allen returns as an executive producer and Pride showruns the series, which has morphed into a single-camera dramedy that blends nostalgic callbacks with Gen Z storylines about mental health, activism and threats to HBCU funding.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of nostalgic

Adjective

Strong reimbursement intelligence will achieve this with AI models that blend prospective and retrospective intelligence together.

— Terry Goertz, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
This extreme foregrounding of character in terms of action endows the cast with a retrospective air of typecasting, in a positive sense—the actors seem made for their parts, coalescing with their characters temperamentally.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of retrospective

Adjective

Although there’s a practical and personal basis to Wayne’s newfound commitment, there’s also a philosophical one that’s reflected in the movie’s title.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Its founders and many of its early employees were sympathetic to the utilitarian philosophical movement known as effective altruism.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of philosophical

Adjective

This technical benchmark comes from an analytical study conducted by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
His occasional free-agent splurges obscured an organizational myopia that left his team with scant investments in staffing, analytical advancements and technological necessities.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of analytic

Browse Nearby Words

backward

backward-looking

backwash

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“Backward-looking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backward-looking. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of backward-looking

adjective

Example Sentences

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