backward en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈbæk.wə(ɹ)d/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈbækwɚd/ (US)
- băk'wərd (US)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From Middle English bakwarde, abakward, equivalent to back (adverb) + -ward. Cognate with Old Frisian bekward (“backward”).
Meanings
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Indicating position or direction. ▸ Situated toward or at the rear of something.
The silt collects in the backward part of the tank.
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Indicating position or direction. ▸ Acting or moving in the direction opposite to that in which someone or something is facing.
a backward tilt of the head
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Indicating position or direction. ▸ Acting or moving in the direction opposite to the usual direction of movement.
Engage the lock to prevent backward rotation of the wheel.
The occasional apparent backward movement of planets is evidence that they revolve around the sun.
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(figuratively) Indicating position or direction. ▸ Acting or moving oppositely to the desired direction of progress.
This is a backward step for the country.
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Indicating position or direction. ▸ Reversed in order or sequence.
This backward writing is hard to read.
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(figuratively) Expressing lack of development or advancement. ▸ Retarded in development; not as advanced as would be expected.
The child is backward in his school work.
The effect is to retard their progress—giving them too little opportunity and too little incentive for copying the language of adults— and a little later the child is pained and the parents' ears tingle at hearing a chance remark: “ How terribly backward she is about talking."
1882, Charles Edward Page, How to feed the baby to make it healthy and happy, page 133:The fact that a child is backward in talking is no sign of defective intelligence, nor does it prove that it will be a slow pupil.
1910, Leonard Keene Hirshberg, What You Ought to Know about Your Baby, page 19:Rickety children are backward in teething, and when the teeth do appear, they decay very rapidly. The children are backward in walking and backward in talking and the soft-spot (fontanel) on the top of the head remains open months longer than it should.
1925, Louis Fischer, The Health-care of the Baby: A Handbook for Mothers and Nurses, page 170:
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(figuratively) Expressing lack of development or advancement. ▸ Of a culture, country, practice etc., undeveloped or unsophisticated.
Most cruelly, the immediate security interests of the United States and the states surrounding Somalia are now to keep it a failed state, to prevent Islamists from consolidating even a weak state centered on Mogadishu. The leader of the victorious faction, one Aden Hashi 'Ayro, is said to be a veteran of Afghanistan; he knows well what a small sanctuary in a backward corner of the globe can mean for al Qaeda.
2006, Tom Donnelly, “Back to Mogadishu?”, in Armed Forces Journal, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2009:They were a backward people without any writing.
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(figuratively) Expressing lack of development or advancement. ▸ Slow to apprehend; having difficulties in learning.
a backward child
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(figuratively) Expressing lack of development or advancement. ▸ Lacking progressive or enlightened thought; outdated.
The party’s ideas and policies are very backward.
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(figuratively) Expressing lack of development or advancement. ▸ Late or behindhand.
a backward season
Rickety children are backward in teething, and when the teeth do appear, they decay very rapidly.
1925, Louis Fischer, The Health-care of the Baby: A Handbook for Mothers and Nurses, page 170:"[…] I've a job of work to finish tonight; mourning, as must be in time for the funeral to-morrow; and grandfather has been out moss- hunting, and will not be home till late." "Oh, how charming it will be! I'll help you if you're backward. Have you much to do?"
1848, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton:We have had a long run of heavy, wet and squally weather; the dry season is two months backward, and the Lepidoptera have not appeared so abundantly as they should have done.
1855, The zoologist: a popular miscellany of natural history, Volume 14:
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(in negative constructions, often) Reluctant or unwilling to advance or act; shy.
Then her eyes, always alert for the affairs of her kitchen, fell on some action of the Chinese cook which aroused her violent disapproval. She turned on him with a torrent of abuse. The Chink was not backward to defend himself, and a very lively quarrel ensued.
1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 51”, in The Moon and Sixpence:Don’t be backward in suggesting story ideas to local media but always think of the wants, needs and desires of their readers when selling-in story ideas.
2003 August, “Media Prospecting”, in Mortgage Magazine, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2006:She certainly isn’t backward in coming forward!
- Of a pawn, further behind than pawns of the same colour on adjacent files and unable to be moved forward safely.
- On that part of the field behind the batsman's popping crease.
- Further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else.
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(obsolete) Unwilling; averse; reluctant.
For wiser brutes were backward to be slaves.
1713, Alexander Pope, Windsor Forest, line 50:
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(obsolete) Already past or gone; bygone.
The soul forgets her schemes of Hope and Pride, / and flies unconscious o'er each backward year.
1812–1818, George Gordon Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, canto 2, verse 24:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most backward | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more backward | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
unbackward · work backward · ass-backward · other backward class · backwardness · backward masking · backward pawn · backward roll · backward-lookingness · backward in coming forward · backward pass · backwardism · ass backward · backward rationalization · backward induction · backward incompatible · backwardation · backwardly · fast backward · backward integration · backward design · backward compatible · bend over backward · backward slash · backward compatibility · forward-backward algorithm · camback · backward incompatibility · backward-looking · backward compliment · backward rationalize · backward-compatible · backward linkage · backward dive
Synonyms
dated · venerable · defunct · outdated · discontinued · retrograde · passé · forepast · past · mirror image (reversed) · back to front (so that the back precedes the front) · Havishamesque · late · long ago · backward · backwards · dated · preterite · out of fashion · superseded · historical · lated · outmoded · behindhand · backward · archaic · forepast · antique · antediluvian · parachronistic · unemployed · historic · foregone · retrograde · backwards · Miss Havishamesque · obsolete · antediluvial · overdue · forepassed · antiquated · antediluvian · mouldy · anachronistic · old school · idle · olden · parachronistic · cobwebbed · unoccupied · fossilized · crude (undeveloped) · hindwards (toward the back) · primitive · elderly · obsolete · old-fashioned · old · hoary · disused · expired · contrariwise (in the opposite direction of usual) · overdue · superannuated · switched (reversed) · extinct · behind the times · in reverse · historical · bygone · cobwebby · desuete · workless · back to front (reversed) · retrograde (toward the back) · oldfangled · hoary · out of date · belated · outworn · backward · antiquated · rearward (toward the back) · tardy · reversedly · dootsie · primitive · tardy
Translations (125)
pl do tyłu (in the direction reverse of normal) · afb متخلف (undeveloped) · fi kehittymätön (undeveloped) · bg назадничав (reluctant to advance) · es rezagado (undeveloped) · fi takaperoinen (in the direction reverse of normal) · de zurückgeblieben (undeveloped) · de zurück (in the direction towards the back) · pt antiquado (of an idea: outdated) · de zögerlich (reluctant to advance) · ro regresiv (in the direction towards the back) · de rückständig (of an idea: outdated) · got 𐌹𐌱𐌿𐌺𐍃 (in the direction towards the back) · wa aviyi (of an idea: outdated) · it retromarcia (in the direction reverse of normal) · sv bakåtsträvande (reluctant to advance) · bg старомоден (of an idea: outdated) · ro înapoi (in the direction reverse of normal) · es pasado de moda (of an idea: outdated) · ga ar gcúl (in the direction towards the back) · ca retrògrad (of an idea: outdated) · de rückwärts (in the direction towards the back) · el οπισθοδρομικός (of an idea: outdated) · el παλιομοδίτικος (of an idea: outdated) · tr geri (in the direction towards the back) · de altmodisch (of an idea: outdated) · mr मागासलेली (undeveloped) · es anticuado (of an idea: outdated) · mr मागासलेले (undeveloped) · ro îndărăt (in the direction reverse of normal) · hu fejletlen (undeveloped) · nl naar achteren (in the direction towards the back) · es tercermundista (undeveloped) · de zurückgewandt (undeveloped) · mr मागासलेला (undeveloped) · is aftur (in the direction towards the back) · ga fágtha (of an idea: outdated) · jam backway (in the direction reverse of normal) · el υπανάπτυκτος (undeveloped) · fi arka (reluctant to advance) · fi peruuttava (in the direction reverse of normal) · es retrógrado (in the direction reverse of normal) · pt retrógrado (reluctant to advance) · es subdesarrollado (undeveloped) · bg обратно (in the direction reverse of normal) · ga siar (in the direction towards the back) · ca demodé (of an idea: outdated) · wa foû môde (of an idea: outdated) · ro îndărăt (in the direction towards the back) · de rückwärts (in the direction reverse of normal) · is aftur á bak (in the direction reverse of normal) · nl achterhaald (of an idea: outdated) · ckb دواکەوتو (reluctant to advance) · ga ar gcúl (in the direction reverse of normal) · es trasnochado (of an idea: outdated) · it riluttante (reluctant to advance) · ga siar (in the direction reverse of normal) · it indietro (in the direction towards the back) · sv bakom (undeveloped) · fi vastahakoinen (reluctant to advance) · ca retrògrad (in the direction reverse of normal) · cmn 逆向 (in the direction reverse of normal) · ga ar gcúl (undeveloped) · pl archaiczny (of an idea: outdated) · ro spre-napoi (in the direction towards the back) · fr en arrière (in the direction towards the back) · de unterentwickelt (undeveloped) · ca endarrerit (undeveloped) · sv bakåt (in the direction reverse of normal) · wa eriré (undeveloped) · de überholt (of an idea: outdated) · pl w tył (in the direction towards the back) · de gehemmt (reluctant to advance) · it indietro (undeveloped) · pt atrás (in the direction reverse of normal) · ar مُتَخَلِّف (undeveloped) · de antiquiert (of an idea: outdated) · fi taakse (in the direction towards the back) · ro înapoi (in the direction towards the back) · nl onderontwikkeld (undeveloped) · sv baklänges (in the direction reverse of normal) · hu vissza (in the direction towards the back) · fi saamaton (reluctant to advance) · de rückständig (undeveloped) · ro către spate (in the direction towards the back) · hu hátra (in the direction towards the back) · it fuori moda (of an idea: outdated) · cs zaostalý (undeveloped) · ca antiquat (of an idea: outdated) · nl achteruit (in the direction towards the back) · fi takaperoinen (in the direction towards the back) · fi alikehittynyt (undeveloped) · pt de volta (in the direction towards the back) · es desactualizado (of an idea: outdated) · jam back (in the direction towards the back) · pl w tył (in the direction reverse of normal) · es retrógrado (of an idea: outdated) · ru обра́тно (in the direction reverse of normal) · fr arriéré (reluctant to advance) · fi vanhakantainen (of an idea: outdated) · fi takapajuinen (undeveloped) · fi taaksepäin suuntautuva (in the direction towards the back) · mi whakamuri (in the direction towards the back) · ckb دواکەوتو (undeveloped) · ru наза́д (in the direction towards the back) · nl achteruit (in the direction reverse of normal) · ml പിന്നോക്ക (undeveloped) · ru отста́лый (undeveloped) · is úreltur (of an idea: outdated) · pt atrasado (undeveloped) · bg назад (in the direction towards the back) · fr arriéré (undeveloped) · ga cúlánta (undeveloped) · el ανάποδος (in the direction reverse of normal) · it antiquato (of an idea: outdated) · pt retrógrado (undeveloped) · de nach hinten (in the direction towards the back) · ro înapoiat (undeveloped) · eo malantaŭen (in the direction towards the back) · de rückwärtsgewandt (of an idea: outdated) · es atrasado (undeveloped) · pl przestarzały (of an idea: outdated) · is vanþróaður (undeveloped) · cs vzad (in the direction reverse of normal) · bg изостанал (undeveloped)