backwater

American  

[bak-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈbækˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

1. water held or forced back, as by a dam, flood, or tide.

2. a place or state of stagnant backwardness.

   This area of the country is a backwater that continues to resist progress.

3. an isolated, peaceful place.

4. a stroke executed by pushing a paddle forward, causing a canoe to move backward.

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backwater British  

/ ˈbækˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. a body of stagnant water connected to a river

2. water held or driven back, as by a dam, flood, or tide

3. an isolated, backward, or intellectually stagnant place or condition

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verb

1. (intr) to reverse the direction of a boat, esp to push the oars of a rowing boat

Etymology

Origin of backwater

1350–1400; Middle English bakwateres; back ², water

Example Sentences

By 2001 the paper profits pushed Ireland’s gross domestic product per capita ahead of Britain’s, fed a housing boom, and turned Dublin from a dirty backwater into a glossy tourist hub.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since seizing power as the kingdom’s de facto ruler in 2017, Mohammed has singularly pursued the goal of transforming the kingdom from a cultural and geopolitical backwater into a force on the world stage.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Jewish homeland in backwaters of the Ottoman empire seemed unattainable, and pressing domestic concerns like slavery and temperance took precedence.

From The Wall Street Journal

“So we’ve got to find some formula that holds the thing together a year or two, after which — after a year, Mr. President, Vietnam will be a backwater,” Kissinger said.

From Salon

Once viewed as an intellectual backwater, geroscience—the study of aging—is now at the frontier of biology, attracting funding and talent, inspiring new journals, and generating a flood of peer-reviewed research.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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• set aside
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