as in nostalgic
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Recent Examples of backward-looking
By contrast, the United States relies on backward-looking indicators such as trade balances and foreign direct investment flows.
—
Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Yet the stock’s reaction to earnings has remained uniformly positive, suggesting investors have been more focused on forward commentary and positioning than backward-looking results, the Wall Street research firm said.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
This backward-looking bias is especially dangerous at times of disruption, precisely when organizations need leaders who can learn, adapt, and reinvent themselves.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
In a restaurant town flooded with Frenchness, Chateau Royale offers a welcome sense of cheeky self-awareness, with a backward-looking menu that embraces all the Gallic pomp and dairy fat of an earlier age.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
However, others believe the backward-looking data will do little to ease current concerns about the employment situation, which continues to exhibit signs of difficulty.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
The Bank of England FPC noted that backward-looking metrics in the U.S. are one particular place to look for stretched valuations, and offered a striking comparison.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
That’s especially true when compared with the director’s usual, backward-looking fare, which has dominated his oeuvre during the past two decades.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Still, the backward-looking report about the labor market failed to assuage investor fears in the aftermath of sweeping tariffs issued by Trump earlier this week.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2025
Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Yet the stock’s reaction to earnings has remained uniformly positive, suggesting investors have been more focused on forward commentary and positioning than backward-looking results, the Wall Street research firm said.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
This backward-looking bias is especially dangerous at times of disruption, precisely when organizations need leaders who can learn, adapt, and reinvent themselves.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
In a restaurant town flooded with Frenchness, Chateau Royale offers a welcome sense of cheeky self-awareness, with a backward-looking menu that embraces all the Gallic pomp and dairy fat of an earlier age.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
However, others believe the backward-looking data will do little to ease current concerns about the employment situation, which continues to exhibit signs of difficulty.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
The Bank of England FPC noted that backward-looking metrics in the U.S. are one particular place to look for stretched valuations, and offered a striking comparison.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
That’s especially true when compared with the director’s usual, backward-looking fare, which has dominated his oeuvre during the past two decades.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Still, the backward-looking report about the labor market failed to assuage investor fears in the aftermath of sweeping tariffs issued by Trump earlier this week.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backward-looking
Adjective
-
Groundhog Day is coming up, leaving some fans nostalgic for an iconic '90s film.—
Marina Johnson,
IndyStar,
30 Jan. 2026
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Amazon Prime miniseries run the gamut from psychological thrillers to nostalgic melodramas, proving short-form television can trade punches without overstaying their welcome.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The retrospective study would analyze existing health records to identify patterns linked to historical pollution exposure.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Yeah, so the law has this long-standing distinction between what the lawyers would call prospective relief and retrospective relief.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Armed with cultural relevance, introspective lyricism and genre-defying artistry, this album further cemented his dominance not just in música urbana but in popular culture overall, elevating him to true household-name status.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
30 Jan. 2026
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As the introspective journey draws to a close, the filmmaker floats the idea of continuing the project into the future, even after his departure.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps the most important question about AI in cars is not technical, but philosophical.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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That intimacy provides an emotional counterpoint to Rushdie’s more philosophical musings about art and religion, free speech and resistance, violent intent and forgiveness.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There’s a risk of getting gummed up in the noticing stage, too taken with the complicated pleasures of textual closeness to move on to the necessary next analytical steps.—
Katie Kadue,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Led by James Tour, PhD, a chemistry and materials science and nanoengineering professor at Rice University, the study aimed to reconstruct Edison’s original light bulb experiments using modern analytical tools.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backward-looking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backward-looking. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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