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
But Dublin was a European backwater then.
—
Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Saturated in the heatwave colors of Australia’s scorching Red Center, with its searing blue skies and bright orange sands, Wolfram makes the grim, lawless backwater of Wake in Fright seem positively cosmopolitan by comparison.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
In the hockey world, the borough would go from backwater to mecca.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Saturated in the heatwave colors of Australia’s scorching Red Center, with its searing blue skies and bright orange sands, Wolfram makes the grim, lawless backwater of Wake in Fright seem positively cosmopolitan by comparison.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
In the hockey world, the borough would go from backwater to mecca.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
-
Yoo, now 41, grew up in the countryside recording his favorite shows on VHS tapes.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
Eager to prove herself, Goldie, Jerri’s ambitious elf assistant, is sent from sunny California to shut down the world’s last traditional toy workshop, hidden deep in the rainy British countryside.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The research frontier also shifted.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
The airport said the majority of the passengers have since departed Denver on a new frontier flight.—
Jack Lowenstein,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Perennial sunflowers are available that grow as bushes or tall shrub forms.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
Along my walkway and all over my neighborhood, nasturtium flowers are opening like bright orange suns, fragrant lavender is attracting buzzing bees, and rosemary bushes are beginning to brighten with baby blue flowers.—
Senior Food Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
There are many ways for a country to become unfree.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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The Republican president said the ceasefire includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each country.—
Darlene Superville,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Noun
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On arrival, guests are paired with a personal local guide–think of it as the hinterland’s answer to a butler—on hand to arrange everything from restaurant bookings to last-minute requests, typically handled with a quick text.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
-
The Deb dispute is playing out across different fronts in Los Angeles and Australia, overshadowing the feel-good movie about outback teens attending a debutante ball.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The changes bring a bit of the Australian outback to the zoo for koalas, which are an endangered species.—
Cody Jackson,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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