backward

American  

[bak-werd] / ˈbæk wərd /

adverb

1. toward the back or rear.

   Antonyms:

   forward

2. with the back foremost.

3. in the reverse of the usual or right way.

   counting backward from 100.

4. toward the past.

   to look backward over one's earlier mistakes.

5. toward a less advanced state; retrogressively.

   Since the overthrow of the president the country has moved steadily backward.

---

adjective

1. directed toward the back or past.

2. reversed; returning.

   a backward movement;

   a backward journey.

3. behind in time or progress; late; slow.

   a backward learner;

   a backward country.

   Synonyms:

   underdeveloped, retarded, tardy

4. bashful or hesitant; shy.

   a backward lover.

   Synonyms:

   retiring, timid, disinclined

idioms

1. backward and forward, thoroughly: Also backwards and forwards.

   He knew his lesson backward and forward.

backward British  

/ ˈbækwəd /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal) directed towards the rear

   a backward glance

2. retarded in physical, material, or intellectual development

   backward countries

   a backward child

3. 1. of or relating to the past; conservative or reactionary

   2. ( in combination )

      backward-looking

4. reluctant or bashful

   a backward lover

5. chess (of a pawn) behind neighbouring pawns and unable to be supported by them

---

adverb

1. a variant of backwards

backward More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing backward

• bend over backward
• fall over (backwards)
• know like a book (backwards and forwards)

---

Other Word Forms

• backwardness
  noun
• unbackward
  adjective
• backwardly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of backward

First recorded in 1250–1300, backward is from the Middle English word bakwarde. See back ¹, -ward

Explanation

Backward means "toward the rear" or "behind." It’s the opposite of forward. If you stop peddling your bike on a hill, you’ll start rolling backward. If you count backward from 10 to 1, you probably just hypnotized someone. When you go backward, you move in reverse. You might give a backward glance at a person as you walk away. Backward also means "slow," or "behind the times," as in a backward government that doesn't allow girls to go to school. If you wear your clothes backward, then you’re dressing like Kris Kross, the hip-hop duo from the 90s. The Old English roots are on bæc, "back," and -weard, "toward." Backwards (with an “s”) is primarily British usage.

Example Sentences

To investigate the discrepancy, the team used a technique called inversion, which works backward from observed tsunami behavior to estimate the characteristics of the earthquake that generated it.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

At one point, he tripped and fell backward.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

The incident took place on the night of 11 June in a village in Begusarai - a district that is officially recognised as one of India's most socially and economically backward.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

The stories peer ahead, anticipating the moon landing by 19 years, and cast backward, recalling the settlement of the West.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

“Oh no, it’s not that. It just feels like it would be wrong. A backward thing. Like… I don’t know… a moth crawling back into its cocoon.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• bashful
• hesitant
• shy