# backward

Pronunciation: US say "BAK-wurd" /ˈbækwɚd/; UK/AUS say "BAK-wuhd" /ˈbæk.wə(ɹ)d/

## Adverb

1. Toward the direction opposite to the way someone or something faces or normally points.
   - Simple: Toward the space behind you, opposite to the way you are facing.
   - _The startled horse shied backward away from the flames._
   - _He tilted his head backward to look at the ceiling._
4. Positioned at, near, or toward the rear of something.
   - Simple: At, near, or toward the back of something.
   - _The sleeping cabins are arranged backward of the main deck._
   - _They loaded the heaviest crates backward in the truck bed for balance._
5. In a reversed order or sequence, from the last item to the first.
   - Simple: From the end to the start, in reverse order.
   - _The teacher asked them to spell each word backward._
   - _He recited the months backward just to show off._
7. In a reversed orientation, with the front and back switched around.
   - Simple: With the front part facing the wrong way.
   - _She wore her cap backward in the summer heat._
   - _The sign had been mounted backward, hiding the message entirely._
8. Away from progress, moving from a better state toward a worse one.
   - Simple: Toward a worse state instead of getting better.
   - _Reforms stalled, and living standards began to slip backward._
   - _Every delay pushed the project backward instead of forward._
14. Toward or into the past, in the direction of earlier times.
   - Simple: Going or looking toward an earlier time.
   - _Historians often look backward to explain present events._
   - _The memoir travels backward through three generations of one family._
16. In or toward the direction opposite to the usual forward movement.
   - Simple: Toward the place behind you instead of in front.
   - _The car rolled backward down the slope when the brake failed._
   - _The ferry inched backward away from the dock._
20. In a manner that turns back upon itself or upon its source; reflexively.
   - Simple: In a way that turns back on itself or on the doer.
   - _The criticism reflected backward, falling on those who had first made it._
   - _His scheme worked backward, in the end harming its own author._

## Adjective

2. Moving or acting in the direction opposite to the way someone or something faces.
   - Simple: Moving or facing toward the area behind, not the front.
   - _A sudden backward motion threw the passengers against their seats._
   - _The gymnast performed a smooth backward roll across the mat._
3. Positioned toward or at the rear part of an object or area.
   - Simple: Found at or near the back of something.
   - _The museum stored its older exhibits in a backward gallery few visitors reached._
   - _A narrow door led to the backward section of the warehouse._
6. Having the order or sequence reversed, with the last item coming first.
   - Simple: Put in the opposite order, from last to first.
   - _A backward numbering scheme confused the new employees._
   - _The film used a backward chronology, ending where it began._
9. Tending to move against progress rather than toward improvement.
   - Simple: Moving against progress rather than toward it.
   - _Observers saw the policy as a backward step for civil rights._
   - _Such a backward approach undid years of careful reform._
10. Of a culture, country, or practice, lacking development or sophistication.
   - Simple: Lacking modern development, as a place or way of life.
   - _Colonial writers dismissed entire regions as backward and in need of reform._
   - _Travelers who labeled the community backward missed its rich traditions._
11. Lacking progressive or enlightened ideas; outdated in outlook.
   - Simple: Having old-fashioned ideas and not open to new thinking.
   - _Her parents held backward attitudes about education for girls._
   - _The committee's backward thinking blocked every fresh idea._
12. Slow to understand or learn; having difficulty grasping things.
   - Simple: Slow to learn or understand things.
   - _Victorian schools often placed children deemed backward into separate classes._
   - _She resented being called backward simply because she learned at her own pace._
13. Behind the expected stage of development; less advanced than would be normal.
   - Simple: Behind in growth or development for its age or stage.
   - _Their youngest was backward in walking, but by her second birthday she was keeping up with her cousins._
   - _Early charts labeled any slow-growing infant as backward._
15. Moving or acting in the direction opposite to the usual forward one.
   - Simple: Moving opposite to the usual, forward direction of travel.
   - _The dancer finished the routine with a graceful backward leap._
   - _A backward current dragged the swimmers away from the shore._
17. Late or behindhand; behind the expected time, season, or schedule.
   - Simple: Late, or behind the point things should have reached by now.
   - _An unusually cold April left the wheat backward across the county._
   - _The accounts were backward, several weeks behind where they should have been._
18. Reluctant or unwilling to put oneself forward or to act; bashful and shy.
   - Simple: Shy and unwilling to come forward or act.
   - _Far from backward, she spoke up at every single meeting._
   - _The boy was backward in company, rarely speaking unless spoken to._
21. In chess, describing a pawn that lags behind the pawns on the files beside it and cannot advance safely.
   - Simple: In chess, a pawn that has fallen behind its neighbors and cannot move up safely.
   - _A backward pawn on a half-open file is a long-term liability._
   - _The coach warned that pushing too soon would leave a backward pawn._
22. In cricket, located on the part of the field lying behind the batsman's popping crease.
   - Simple: In cricket, on the part of the field behind the batsman's line.
   - _The edge carried to backward point, who held a sharp catch._
   - _She set a fielder at backward square leg to stop the sweep._
23. In cricket, positioned further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else nearby.
   - Simple: In cricket, placed further behind the batsman's line than another fielder or spot.
   - _Place him backward of square leg, deeper than the others._
   - _The fielder edged backward of point as the spinner came on._

## Noun

19. The position or condition that lies behind, in time already gone by.
   - Simple: The time or place that lies behind, now past.
   - _The old man seemed lost in the backward, dwelling on what had been._
   - _Their fortune belonged wholly to the backward, with nothing left for the future._

## Verb

24. To hold back, delay, or retard the progress or advancement of something. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To hold something back or slow it down.
   - _Constant interruptions backward the committee's progress._
   - _Heavy taxes backward the growth of small businesses._

## Adjective

25. Unwilling, averse, or reluctant to undertake or agree to a course of action. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Unwilling, or not at all keen to do something.
   - _The merchant proved backward to sign any contract he had not read twice._
   - _She was nowise backward to speak her mind before the council._
26. Already past or gone by; belonging to an age that is now bygone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Already gone by, and now belonging to the past.

## Adverb

27. At some point in time that has already passed; in times gone by. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: At a time that has already gone by, in the past.

## Origin

From Middle English bakwarde (also abakward), which is 'back' plus the ending '-ward'. It is related to Old Frisian bekward, meaning backward.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/backward (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).