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)
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
Vigilant doctors and public health experts in charge of government policy mostly kept the anti-vaxxers relegated to the darker corners of medical discussion, and later to the backwaters of social media.
—
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
But the state’s chronically high electric rates combined with the disappearance of trust between regulators and utilities has transformed PURA from political backwater to lightning rod and Republican criticism of Lamont’s decision was immediate.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
At this flood stage, expect significant flooding in East End, California, and New Richmond in Ohio, with backwater floods in Silver Grove, KY, and riverfront buildings in Aurora, Indiana.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
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Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
But the state’s chronically high electric rates combined with the disappearance of trust between regulators and utilities has transformed PURA from political backwater to lightning rod and Republican criticism of Lamont’s decision was immediate.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
At this flood stage, expect significant flooding in East End, California, and New Richmond in Ohio, with backwater floods in Silver Grove, KY, and riverfront buildings in Aurora, Indiana.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backwater. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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