swaybacked

American

[swey-bakt] / ˈsweɪˌbækt /

adjective

Veterinary Pathology.

having the back sagged to an unusual degree; having a sway-back.

Etymology

Origin of swaybacked

First recorded in 1670–80; sway + backed

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.

When Trevor literally uncovers his granddad’s old souped-up Ecto-1 Caddy under a tarp in the farm’s swaybacked barn, the kids suddenly find themselves back in the family business.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2021

There’s Jethro, a “big buffoon” with a heart condition and spinal spondylitis that leaves him swaybacked and crooked as he heads to gum at a chew toy in the play yard.

From Washington Times • Nov. 24, 2018

She rides a swaybacked pony and impersonates Harpo Marx.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2017

A swaybacked roof side by side with an austere perpendicular brick building: so beautiful.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 10, 2016

Instead, a broken window illuminates a swaybacked bed.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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