backwoods

American

[bak-woodz] / ˈbækˈwʊdz /

noun

(often used with a singular verb) wooded or partially uncleared and unsettled districts.
any remote or isolated area.

Synonyms:

backwater, bush, boonies, boondocks, woodland, wild, hinterland

adjective

of or relating to the backwoods.
unsophisticated; uncouth.

backwoods British

/ ˈbækwʊdz /

plural noun

partially cleared, sparsely populated forests
any remote sparsely populated place
(modifier) of, from, or like the backwoods
(modifier) uncouth; rustic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of backwoods

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10; back ¹ + woods ¹ (in the sense “a forest”)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Little is known about Mr Benastick's condition or how he survived in the backwoods.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024

If you don’t know Atkins’ backstory, it’s a lot like Dolly Parton’s — smart but poor kid in a backwoods cabin, no running water, few prospects, and a lot of heart.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024

Rust Cohle slow dances with murmurings about Carcosa in Season 1, and the anthology’s creator Nic Pizzolatto spiced up the mystique by depositing backwoods fetishes near crime scenes.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2024

Doing so doesn’t require traipsing into the backwoods of Louisiana listening for a double-knock call that may never come.

From Slate • May 27, 2023

She tells me to keep looking at them as they walk to the clearing in the backwoods.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023