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 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
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Having set up this backwater office where nothing ever happens and then bring death to the door was a brilliant stroke.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 17 June 2025
In 2001, Michael Dorrell volunteered to move from the Sydney headquarters of Australian investment bank Macquarie to a backwater in its infrastructure investing specialty: the United States of America.
—Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Having set up this backwater office where nothing ever happens and then bring death to the door was a brilliant stroke.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 17 June 2025
In 2001, Michael Dorrell volunteered to move from the Sydney headquarters of Australian investment bank Macquarie to a backwater in its infrastructure investing specialty: the United States of America.
—Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
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On highways and surface roads in the rural countryside west of Detroit, the 2025 Ford Explorer was smooth and quiet, with plenty of power for highway acceleration.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Forty-five minutes later, the racetrack appears almost without warning — coiled like a basking viper in the Tuscan countryside.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On Thursday, Tien Kung became the first humanoid robot to test running shoes in Beijing, opening a new frontier in sports product development.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
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From Ozone Protection To Climate Action The next frontier is connecting ozone protection with climate action.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Messages Robinson is believed to have sent on Discord stated a need to retrieve a rifle from a pick-up point, leaving the rifle in a bush, watching the area where a rifle was left and having wrapped the rifle in a towel, according to the affidavit.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Jurors saw some wobbling footage that appeared to be taken from inside a bush, though prosecutors did not explicitly make clear if the footage was taken from Routh's perch.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Neural highways that once buzzed with activity are becoming quiet country roads, rarely traveled and slowly overgrown.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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This administration is trying to thrust our country into turmoil in order to reap power for themselves.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 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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Brothers Nathan and Bub Bright meet for the first time in months at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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The event took competitors on a 3,000-kilometer (around 1,864-mile) journey across the Australian outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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