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
  • Fueling a lot of that viewership power are Gen Z and millennial viewers, attracted by a cast loaded with social media influencers, reality TV stars and nostalgic favorites.
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • For a brand like Estée Lauder, which launched in 1946, the red thread is the quality and innovation of products rather than a nostalgic look back at its history.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of nostalgic
Adjective
  • But Chee’s first-person, present-tense narration differs from most in being, in a seeming paradox, retrospective.
    — Garth Greenwell, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
  • At the conclusion of the film, Boyle will return to the stage and join yours truly for an hourlong career-retrospective conversation that will be recorded for subsequent airing on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.
    — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of retrospective
Adjective
  • The patience required to piece them together paints Winehouse as an introspective woman as opposed to her party girl that the tabloids portrayed her as.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Focusing on something introspective, such as breath, heartbeat or a growing and shrinking dot, can induce a near-hypnotic state that clears the mind.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of introspective
Adjective
  • The team works with local hospitals to negotiate special rates for their patients who are Amish or members of the broader Plain community, a group whose philosophical beliefs keep them from enrolling in formal health insurance plans.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • After Ted arrives and Roy departs, Ted and Rebecca have their own, more philosophical heart-to-heart about how being messy is part of being alive.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • The old hand-off between operational and analytical data must therefore become a closed loop, with sensing, inference and execution happening in near real time.
    — Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Federal staff also completed an audit in September on an advanced analytical model for seismic assessment.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 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 13 Oct. 2026.

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