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
The life of an unattractive and unintelligent young woman living in a dreary backwater in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
—
New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Unlike Bacalar, which is relatively new to tourism, Tulum has been transformed from a sleepy backwater into a pumping party town.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
Even so, Nazareth was far from an isolated backwater village.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Like certain heroines of Henry James, her favorite writer, Alice flaunted a chic that was notable in a backwater.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
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New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Unlike Bacalar, which is relatively new to tourism, Tulum has been transformed from a sleepy backwater into a pumping party town.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
Even so, Nazareth was far from an isolated backwater village.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Like certain heroines of Henry James, her favorite writer, Alice flaunted a chic that was notable in a backwater.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 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 31 Oct. 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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