hinterland
noun
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When you're dealing with geography, it helps to know your hinterland from your umland. In the late 19th century, geographer George Chisholm took note of the German word Hinterland (literally "land in back of") and applied it specifically to the region just inland from a port or coastal settlement. (Chisholm spelled the word hinderland, but English speakers eventually settled on hinterland.) Early in the 20th century, another geographer adopted the German Umland ("land around") to refer to the territory around an inland town. What hinterland and umland have in common is a reference to a region economically tied to a nearby city. Nowadays, hinterland has a less technical use as well—it can be used for land that is simply out in the sticks. It can also be applied figuratively.
Examples of hinterland in a Sentence
Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
Oklahoma City and Indianapolis are out-of-the-way markets, their stars don’t move the needle, a Finals in the (supposed) hinterlands will send the national TV ratings into the tank, etc.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
So why not establish a homeland somewhere in those vast hinterlands?
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Others wanted a stronger state role in the economy to protect workers in the left-behind hinterland from open borders and the ravages of the global economy.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hinterland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hinterland. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
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hinterland
noun
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