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
  • Luckily, Pottery Barn’s plaid shop is packed with festive decor that captures the same nostalgic charm my mom loves.
    — Kate Boswell, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2026
  • How do the Girls and Glee reboots meet nostalgic expectations while delivering something new and prescient about where the world is now?
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of nostalgic
Adjective
  • Better hospital data could become an early-warning system rather than a retrospective record of a crisis already underway.
    — Dr. Shravani Durbhakula, Time, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But when work exists because of transcription, fragmented systems, delayed data or retrospective quality processes, the greater opportunity may be to redesign the workflow so the work itself becomes unnecessary.
    — Avik Pal, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of retrospective
Adjective
  • This androgynous, liminal realm is the soil from which all of Great Jobs’s tracks blossom, variations on a theme that’s equal parts introspective and exploratory.
    — Lisle Younger, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
  • So, there’s a lot of introspective work and a lot of me going back to my roots, my relationship to my mother and then becoming a mother as well.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of introspective
Adjective
  • To stand in our power of sexy, and that was a huge, huge philosophical shift within the business.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In a spring 2026 paper, Ravfogel and his NYU colleagues Shashwat Singh and Tal Linzen raised an even broader philosophical concern with how language model researchers seek evidence of introspection.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • The analytic-minded architect who assembled so much underrated talent left for the biggest market in baseball.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Today’s high schoolers will be eligible to cast their first ballots within a year or two, and those who have been exposed to economics will have stronger analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
    — Julie Weaver, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 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 11 Nov. 2026.

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