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
In the hockey world, the borough would go from backwater to mecca.
—
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 2026
In 2002 Bisignano took charge at a Citi backwater called Global Transactions Services that was then losing $3 billion a year.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
The film takes place in a dreary town in Victoria, Australia, a drab industrial backwater whose people — or, at least some of whom — flock to religion to give their lives the brightness of hope and higher purpose.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
The Arctic is no longer a frozen backwater.
—Paul McCarthy, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 2026
In 2002 Bisignano took charge at a Citi backwater called Global Transactions Services that was then losing $3 billion a year.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
The film takes place in a dreary town in Victoria, Australia, a drab industrial backwater whose people — or, at least some of whom — flock to religion to give their lives the brightness of hope and higher purpose.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
The Arctic is no longer a frozen backwater.
—Paul McCarthy, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
-
Hungary lives in the countryside—only eight cities have a population exceeding a hundred thousand people—and that is where Magyar concentrated his attention.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Now legions of bright-eyed radical youths were exiled to the countryside to learn from the peasants.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The rooms Rooms in a Four Seasons are never going to push back the frontiers of interior decor.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
-
If critical minerals are the foundation of the energy transition, AI infrastructure is the next frontier of competition.—
Pandu Sjahrir,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Blueberry wallpaper was placed in master bathroom as an homage to the blueberry bushes outside their home.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Along with the daffodil patch, Shickasheen also has a gift shop, a tool shed and a garden center with annuals, perennials, shrubs and bushes available for purchase.—
Catherine Messier,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps as a result, various European countries had introduced academic programs in the new field of music geragogy—the study of music-learning in old age.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
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Plus, targets in countries where people generally make lower incomes may be less likely to turn down job offers.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Moreover, as soon as Christianity began to spread outside his native land, Christian converts faced new situations in unexpected contexts, completely different from those of their founder, an itinerant Jewish preacher in the sparsely populated hinterlands of rural Galilee.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
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Scattered across the continent were hundreds of towns populated by a few hundred people, and each of these towns had an economic hinterland of perhaps 50 to 100 square miles, with the bulk of all agricultural and household production produced and remaining in that area.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Both Benna and Einhorn were used to André pitching outrageous concepts in conversation over the years, whether in regard to a new client or a road trip involving some remote outback and hallucinogens.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Black lives don’t matter in Warwick Thornton’s fiercely original outback Western Wolfram, a surprisingly emotional genre piece that simmers with menace and doesn’t let up until the bloody finale.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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