backwater

noun

back·​wa·​ter ˈbak-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

1

a

: water backed up in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current, or the tide

b

: a body of water (such as an inlet or tributary) that is out of the main current of a larger body

2

a

: an isolated or backward place or condition

b

: an unpopular or unimportant field (as of study or business)

Synonyms

• backcountry
• backland(s)
• backwoods
• bush
• frontier
• hinterland
• outback
• outlands
• up-country

Examples of backwater in a Sentence

The once sleepy backwater is now a thriving city.

a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time

Recent Examples on the Web

The slow, tranquil sojourn along the lower Mekong River, cruising through rural Cambodia and Vietnam’s backwaters, felt more like being on a 19th-century yacht than a modern cruise liner. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2025

These comprehensive trails span both Baldwin and Mobile counties, following the coastline, wetlands, and backwaters—all crucial stopover habitats for migratory birds. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2025

China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future by Ian Johnson Sigrid Nunez A Hero for Cro-MAGA Times Charles Baxter’s new novel follows the moral travails of a rock-steady insurance salesman in a dystopian Ohio backwater. —James Gleick, The New York Review of Books, 7 Feb. 2025

Chaotic warrens in rundown backwaters, such as the desolate apartment complex where Beibei’s grandmother used to live, suggest neglect that’s far from benign. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for backwater

• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater
• manslaughter

Kids Definition

backwater

noun

back·​wa·​ter ˈbak-ˌwȯt-ər 

-ˌwät-

1

: water held or turned back from its course

2

: a backward place or condition