as in countryside
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backwater
Take the short two-mile drive to Taylor Lake to see one of the river’s scenic backwater lakes.
—
Jenna Blough, Outside Online, 8 Apr. 2025
Features destined to become increasingly important include backwater valves and elevated foundations for flood resistance; smart glass to help regulate heat and renewable energy sources for energy resilience.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Why are the Ukrainians risking lives and resources on a comparatively meaningless action in a sector that’s a relative backwater, when critical Ukrainian strongpoints in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast are under relentless Russian assault?
—David Axe, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Thoughtfully constructed in 2002 to honor the natural environment, the Murphy River Walk traces the banks of the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers, where the two rivers converge to create the backwaters of Lake Hiwassee.
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Jenna Blough, Outside Online, 8 Apr. 2025
Features destined to become increasingly important include backwater valves and elevated foundations for flood resistance; smart glass to help regulate heat and renewable energy sources for energy resilience.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Why are the Ukrainians risking lives and resources on a comparatively meaningless action in a sector that’s a relative backwater, when critical Ukrainian strongpoints in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast are under relentless Russian assault?
—David Axe, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Thoughtfully constructed in 2002 to honor the natural environment, the Murphy River Walk traces the banks of the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers, where the two rivers converge to create the backwaters of Lake Hiwassee.
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
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Tsou is a longtime producing and writing partner of Sean Baker, who produces and co-writes this story of a mother who returns to Taipei with her two daughters after several years of living in the countryside to open a night market stand.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
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Its quiet roads, rolling farmland, friendly communities, and local businesses provide a sense of escape, a slower pace of life, and the chance to unwind in Virginia's countryside.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
5 May 2025
Noun
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India evacuates thousands of people from villages near the highly militarized frontier in the Kashmir region.—
Riazat Butt,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
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Tour the Hickory Ridge History Museum, which highlights historic buildings and frontier skills such as weaving and blacksmithing.—
Melissa Oyler,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2025
Noun
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The island is thick with bush, and there are many places for a small dog to hide.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
7 May 2025
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Use those around plants that appreciate acidic soil, like your azaleas and blueberry bushes.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In Washington, the White House said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in constant contact with the leaders of both countries and reiterated that President Donald Trump wants to see the conflict de-escalate.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
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Trump should therefore deal with each country on their own terms and structure healthy bilateral relationships with each.—
Christopher Shays,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Like those hinterland émigrés cobbling together a revue at a boîte, Encores!—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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In The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last emphasized the strategic advantage of a movement that makes its way from the hinterlands toward Washington.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In northeastern Australia, more than a year’s worth of rain fell in just one week in March, kicking off rare flooding and a massive transformation throughout the country’s arid outback.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2025
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But now, gin’s gone global, with new flavors popping up everywhere, from the Aussie outback to the U.S. West Coast.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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