variants
or backwards
1
as in back
toward the rear
looking backward, we could see the town receding in the distance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in around
toward the opposite direction
the loud noise prompted him to glance backward to see what was happening
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people
curiously, the quiet, backward man opened up when around other introverts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to arch
to cause to turn away from a straight line
she bent the blade of the knife when she got it jammed in the drawer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to devote
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention
bent herself to the task for the rest of the day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to aim
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
bent all of his efforts toward making his first documentary film
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in to distort
to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of
attorneys bending the facts to put their client in the most favorable light
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to attach
to cause (something) to hold to another
bend a leash to the dog's collar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in curvature
something that curves or is curved
it's hard to see around that bend in the road, so be careful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of backward
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Walker was shot and killed by Officer Alexander Clifford when a scuffle led to a policeman falling backward, at which point Walker raised a knife, Prescott wrote in his preliminary report.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Directed by Tom George, the 22-minute adventure doesn’t bend over backward forcing you to notice its formal ambitions.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Low frequencies, which bend around obstacles more easily, held up.
—Yook Jihun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Walking on two feet freed our hands, but introduced a bend into our airway.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backward
Adverb
The 12-3 record in one-score games remains an issue, given how teams typically trend backwards the following season.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Walker was shot and killed by Officer Alexander Clifford when a scuffle led to a policeman falling backward, at which point Walker raised a knife, Prescott wrote in his preliminary report.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Local social media users may have seen the video of Pete, sporting sunglasses and a backward baseball cap, reshared on lifestyle page Only in Dade.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Directed by Tom George, the 22-minute adventure doesn’t bend over backward forcing you to notice its formal ambitions.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
Enter the 2026 Chevrolet Trax, a compact crossover that bends the needle toward sanity and affordability.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Low frequencies, which bend around obstacles more easily, held up.
—Yook Jihun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
But don’t fret, lower prices should be around the bend.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Walking on two feet freed our hands, but introduced a bend into our airway.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backward
Adverb
-
The employee gave that stack back to Elliott after counting and verifying it.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Another sticking point has been her close alignment with Kennedy, whose efforts to dramatically pull back vaccine recommendations have been slammed by lawmakers and medical groups.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
According to Turner, Kaiko and her littermates lived outdoors in a pen from birth until she was rescued at around nine months old.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years since its mission began in 1978, the force has lost around 340 members.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Among the 2,066 counties that grew between 2023 and 2024, nearly 8 in 10 saw their growth slow or reverse direction in 2025.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Beyond that, Dilber says using a service like reverse recruiting could be deemed fraudulent by some companies who view it as misrepresenting yourself during the hiring process.—
Jennifer Liu
Anuz Thapa,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Along the way, Babilonia matured from the shy withdrawn child who refused to hold a boy’s hand into a bold, strong and confident woman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sami’s hair and beard were gray, and his thick eyebrows arched over his tired walnut eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The front of the mouse arches down and spreads wide, suggesting the noggin of the snake it's named after.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Illinois devotes significant resources to recruiting overseas to bring in their large international contingent — including Croatian twin centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić and freshman forward David Mirković.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Aleksei stopped working and devoted his full attention to his sons and their hockey development, leaving Olga to support the family.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Democratic bill, aimed at overturning new voting laws in red states, would have created a single national standard for administering elections, including expanding voting by mail.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
-
His signature domestic policy, aimed at tightening voting rules ahead of November's midterm elections, has stalled in a Congress his party controls, while the House Republican majority is in jeopardy and the party's hold on the Senate is less certain than a year ago.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The cosmos has three possible geometries—positively curved like a sphere, flat like an infinite plane or negatively curved like a saddle—but geometry alone doesn’t determine shape.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The rear of the speaker is smartly curved to better hug your body when it is slung over your shoulder, too.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backward. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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