backwoods

American  

[bak-woodz] / ˈbækˈwʊdz /

noun

1. (often used with a singular verb) wooded or partially uncleared and unsettled districts.

2. any remote or isolated area.

   Synonyms:

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to the backwoods.

2. unsophisticated; uncouth.

backwoods British  

/ ˈbækwʊdz /

plural noun

1. partially cleared, sparsely populated forests

2. any remote sparsely populated place

3. (modifier) of, from, or like the backwoods

4. (modifier) uncouth; rustic

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Etymology

Origin of backwoods

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

Example Sentences

A hiker who was lost in the backwoods of British Columbia for more than five weeks has been found alive.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 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

Ostensibly a backwoods hoedown, “Rag Mama Rag” is a prime example of Robertson and the Band as American music alchemists.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2023

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

As bougie as Grandma wants to act, according to Granddaddy she’s just “one foot out the backwoods and one toe from ignorant.”

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• backcountry
• outback