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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backwater
At that time, in the 1920s, France was really a backwater in theoretical physics.
—
Tim Folger, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Tim Folger, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
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From Seoul to Dubai to wellness retreats tucked into the Italian countryside, beauty tourism has become a defining travel trend, with celebrities openly documenting trips built around facials, injectables, regenerative therapies and reset-style wellness stays.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
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About an hour west of Baltimore, where the city and suburban landscape gives way to Maryland’s rural countryside, visitors can find Fingerboard Farm, an historic landmark in Frederick County that once nurtured fruit orchards.—
William Deffaa,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Anthropic has reported roughly a 1 percent success rate against its internal Claude Cowork testing, the best public number from any frontier vendor.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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The Polish soldiers patrolling the frontier do not describe their mission in grand geopolitical terms.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Beautyberry bushes need pruning to maintain their shape and watering during dry periods.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
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Outside there are plenty of fruit trees with pear, apple, peach, cherry and mulberry on the property as well as concord grapes and blueberry bushes.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Beyond that lies the equestrian and agricultural country of Somerset County, including Moorland Farm, home of the annual Far Hills Race Meet horse race for more than 100 years.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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Just 15 minutes east, is Vega, Texas – a small country town with sprinkles of Route 66 memorabilia.—
Chelsea Torres,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
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The film eliminated even a gesture toward a plot while showing solitary nonprofessional and real-life ranch-hand Misael Saavedra chopping and hauling logs in the Argentinian hinterlands (in actuality, Alonso’s family’s ranch).—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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Together, all of those developments deepened class and regional inequalities, as capital flowed away from workers in the industrial hinterland toward financial centers like New York.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 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
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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 19 May. 2026.
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