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
Vigilant doctors and public health experts in charge of government policy mostly kept the anti-vaxxers relegated to the darker corners of medical discussion, and later to the backwaters of social media.
—
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
By 60 feet, forecasters say residents should expect significant flooding in East End, California and New Richmond, Ohio, as well as backwater floods in Silver Grove, Kentucky, and riverfront buildings flooded in Aurora, Indiana.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Similarly, in Anhui Province in eastern China, the city of Hefei has transformed from a poor backwater into a crucial hub for the electric vehicle industry.
—Damien Ma, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
But the state’s chronically high electric rates combined with the disappearance of trust between regulators and utilities has transformed PURA from political backwater to lightning rod and Republican criticism of Lamont’s decision was immediate.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
By 60 feet, forecasters say residents should expect significant flooding in East End, California and New Richmond, Ohio, as well as backwater floods in Silver Grove, Kentucky, and riverfront buildings flooded in Aurora, Indiana.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Similarly, in Anhui Province in eastern China, the city of Hefei has transformed from a poor backwater into a crucial hub for the electric vehicle industry.
—Damien Ma, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
But the state’s chronically high electric rates combined with the disappearance of trust between regulators and utilities has transformed PURA from political backwater to lightning rod and Republican criticism of Lamont’s decision was immediate.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
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Advertisement In 1963, the Shah introduced land reforms to modernize the countryside by redistributing large estates to small farmers, breaking up control of feudal landlords, and promoting mechanized farming with state credit.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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Qian and her partner are renovating a farmhouse in the Portuguese countryside.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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About 15 drones were spotted flying over eastern Belgium's Elsenborn military training area, a NATO base in the Liège province near the German frontier, the Brussels Signal media outlet reported.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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With Tinker’s launch, Thinking Machines Lab is betting that the next frontier in AI lies not in building ever-larger models, but in democratizing access to advanced capabilities through fine-tuning tools.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Bond has helped them with yard work, trimming bushes and spraying for insects.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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He was pursued by Gonzales-Magallanes and a juvenile suspect, who emerged from a hiding spot in some bushes and opened fire toward Othman, prosecutors alleged.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Other countries like Russia, China and Syria limit access to VPNs and what VPN providers can operate in their countries.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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With United Nations climate talks around the corner in November, Rockström and other researchers hope leaders in countries around the world will incorporate scientific perspectives about the food system into their national policies.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But in the post-Grand Slam hinterland, with many top players resting, there are always opportunities for players on the rise.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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But in 2007, Israeli intelligence serendipitously stumbled on evidence of a Syrian nuclear reactor—a miniature replica of North Korea’s Yongbyon facility—that was housed in a nondescript, aboveground complex in the hinterland near the Euphrates River.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The blood-pumping thriller starts with a man and his young son arriving at a rave in the Moroccan outback looking for their daughter/sister.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
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As night settled across the Australian outback, a rare bird emerged from its hiding place and moved across the ground.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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