backwater

noun

back·​wa·​ter ˈbak-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

1

a

: water backed up in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current, or the tide

b

: a body of water (such as an inlet or tributary) that is out of the main current of a larger body

2

a

: an isolated or backward place or condition

b

: an unpopular or unimportant field (as of study or business)

Synonyms

• backcountry
• backland(s)
• backwoods
• bush
• frontier
• hinterland
• outback
• outlands
• up-country

Examples of backwater in a Sentence

The once sleepy backwater is now a thriving city.

a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time

Recent Examples on the Web

Jefferson Chalmers was included in the city’s basement backup protection program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, to install backwater valves and sump pumps in homes hit hardest by heavy rainfall and flooding. —Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 16 Oct. 2024

General relativity — Einstein’s theory that matter and energy warp space-time and that this warping is gravity — had fallen into the backwaters of physics, outshined by progress in quantum mechanics. —Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024

More:Climate change imperils the upper Mississippi River backwaters. —Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 24 May 2024

My journey ended in Kerala's serene backwaters, at Kayal Island Retreat on the island of Kakkathuruthu. —Vasudha Rai, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

backwater

noun

back·​wa·​ter ˈbak-ˌwȯt-ər 

-ˌwät-

1

: water held or turned back from its course

2

: a backward place or condition