as in countryside
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time
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Recent Examples of backwater
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State Schmidt’s counterpart in Georgia similarly would prefer the job as elections chief had remained a bureaucratic backwater.
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Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton struck Tampa Bay, in 1921, the city was a sleepy backwater of a few hundred thousand people.
—Terry Spencer, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2024
Just as Peter’s moving of his court transformed Moscow into a backwater for out-of-favor nobles, Carson’s helped to usher out the era when the Big Apple could claim to have cultural parity with Hollywood.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024
Their opposition is threatening to not only turn the U.S. into a technological backwater, but also to imperil our country’s status as the world’s only superpower.
—Laura Shin, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backwater 
Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton struck Tampa Bay, in 1921, the city was a sleepy backwater of a few hundred thousand people.
—Terry Spencer, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2024
Just as Peter’s moving of his court transformed Moscow into a backwater for out-of-favor nobles, Carson’s helped to usher out the era when the Big Apple could claim to have cultural parity with Hollywood.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024
Their opposition is threatening to not only turn the U.S. into a technological backwater, but also to imperil our country’s status as the world’s only superpower.
—Laura Shin, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
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Fennell is both writing and directing the adaptation of the book, which is a Gothic romance set in the wild countryside of Yorkshire of the naive, innocent Cathy, the dangerous and mysterious Heathcliff, and the forces and class divides that threaten to tear them apart.Brian Welk, IndieWire, 13 Dec. 2024
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The town is just a short drive inland from Venice, in the countryside where many of the city’s wealthy families kept their summer homes and villas.John Last, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This 31-year-old Google alum raised $75 million for a frontier tech fund backed by Marc Andreessen and a cofounder of OpenAI BYEmma Hinchliffe December 12, 2024 Most Popular 1 day ago Tech Amazon founder Jeff Bezos kept his base salary modest during his 20 years as CEO.Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2024
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Bitcoin Can Adapt If Necessary Quantum computers represent an exciting frontier in technology, but remain far from posing a credible threat to Bitcoin’s cryptography.Ansel Lindner, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That effect was on display on Viejas Mountain, where winds whipped the peak’s western flank Tuesday morning, rattling bushes near the 4,187-foot summit.Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024
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In another assassination attempt in September, a gunman waited for hours for Trump to appear at his golf course in Florida, but a Secret Service agent thwarted the attack by spotting the firearm poking through some bushes.Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Those with limited English proficiency (LEP) in English-speaking countries may need help to meet their needs in healthcare clinics and classrooms.Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
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Data from World Wildlife Fund Mexico, a branch of the independent global wildlife preservation organization that tracks monarch migration in that country, revealed monarchs occupied just 2.2 acres of their traditional overwintering grounds last year, a 59 percent decline from the previous season.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Not every hike has to be in the hinterlands to feel iconic.Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024
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His time in Dylan’s home state, Chalamet says, reminded him of his visits to the French hinterlands.Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Watch on Hulu The Royal Hotel Ozark star Julia Garner reunites with director Kitty Green (The Assistant) for this taut psychological thriller in which BFFs Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) decide to backpack their way through the Australian outback.Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 7 Nov. 2024
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When the idea was initially conceived, under a full moon in Australia’s outback, the pair had planned to meet and get married in the middle.Stephy Chung, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near backwater
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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