as in countryside
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
lived far out in the backwoods and raised hogs for a living
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as in rural
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backwoods
Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2019
The weekend gets going on Friday with music from Gator Nate, the lovable backwoods yahoo and role model for many a UF pledge.
—Ben Crandell, sun-sentinel.com, 22 Aug. 2019
Clustered among pine forests and sunny prairies along scenic backwoods roads 20 miles south of town, Perkins Tank and JD Dam Lake comprise a water-centric tour of the Kaibab National Forest’s southern sector.
—Mare Czinar, azcentral, 5 July 2019
Think of the backwoods ranger and Minuteman, the Confederate cavalry officer, the flying ace of World War I, the commando, the Green Beret and SEAL.
—John F. Ross, WSJ, 4 June 2019
See All Example Sentences for backwoods
Plural noun
The Curse of Buckout Road Witches burning at the stake, backwoods albino killers and a modern day stalker prove to be more than urban legends on this New York state byway.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2019
The weekend gets going on Friday with music from Gator Nate, the lovable backwoods yahoo and role model for many a UF pledge.
—Ben Crandell, sun-sentinel.com, 22 Aug. 2019
Clustered among pine forests and sunny prairies along scenic backwoods roads 20 miles south of town, Perkins Tank and JD Dam Lake comprise a water-centric tour of the Kaibab National Forest’s southern sector.
—Mare Czinar, azcentral, 5 July 2019
Think of the backwoods ranger and Minuteman, the Confederate cavalry officer, the flying ace of World War I, the commando, the Green Beret and SEAL.
—John F. Ross, WSJ, 4 June 2019
See All Example Sentences for backwoods
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwoods
Adjective
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His work with rural counties has earned favorable notices, but in urban areas like Phoenix, many of the experts in Joan's reporting raised questions about Livar's effectiveness.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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Both were Jewish, but one was metropolitan and the other more rural and artisanal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Government officials at the city, provincial, and federal levels made their case for tech investment last week at the All In AI conference in Montreal.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
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Mthethwa also faced an ongoing probe that heard allegations by a provincial police commissioner who accused him of attempting to obstruct the prosecution of a former head of South Africa’s Crime Intelligence Services who was being investigated for corruption.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At the time, the two girls were seen as rivals, with Debbie’s theatrical voice vs. Tiffany’s countrified yowl.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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Its twanging guitars and pounding drums scan as countrified classic rock, but every element seems muffled, as if emanating from an iPhone lost in a couch.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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The multi-country co-production is led by Chile’s Catalina Vergara of Globo Rojo Films.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
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Fellow country singer Luke Bryan is also returning as a judge, making Lionel Richie the only non-country artist in a prominent role on the show.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The rural Wisconsinite, who died in a psychiatric institution in 1984, became known for keeping as totems pieces of his victims’ bodies, in a string of crimes that shocked bucolic 1950s America.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
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Enjoying the relaxed pace of the meal, tasting the rich but fresh food, and taking in a bucolic backdrop felt like a quintessentially Italian afternoon.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backwoods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwoods. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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