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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Attica by the numbers At the time of the uprising, the rural prison had an all-white correctional staff tending to 2,234 inmates, with Black prisoners making up more than half the prison population.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
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Decentralizing these trials means utilizing the virtual and at-home care innovations that rural health systems have been using for years.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There was his father, Steve, an Ontario provincial police officer who used to lead a tactical rescue team out of London.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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What began as a simple countrified version of a John Mayer song turned into something else entirely when Von Elbe suddenly busted out this terrific rock voice, proving himself an unpredictable threat in this competition.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
6 Oct. 2025
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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
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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In addition to its prime, bucolic location in the Green Mountains, Putney is perhaps best known for its schools, including Landmark College and the boarding schools, Putney School and Greenwood School.—
Megan Margulies,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Oct. 2025
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Established over a thousand years ago with ancient churches and palaces, Radicondoli is a bucolic village with a history of wool working and a long tradition of producing olive oil.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backwoods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwoods. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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