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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backwater Thoughtfully constructed in 2002 to honor the natural environment, the Murphy River Walk traces the banks of the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers, where the two rivers converge to create the backwaters of Lake Hiwassee. Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024 Previously, wild rice was most commonly found in the still, shallow backwater areas of the river. Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 4 Dec. 2024 Set in the future with humanity colonizing the Solar System, the resources across the various planets and asteroids render the Earth a financial backwater. Ollie Barder, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 The 20-year road Army traveled from football backwater to College Football Playoff contender was hardly a straight line. Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
  • The show is set in numerous locations throughout Norway (and Lithuania, subbing in for Russia), from the brutalist architecture of Oslo to quaint villages in the Norwegian countryside.
    Andrea Duncan-Mao, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
  • This luxury resort, set in the tranquil countryside, is your gateway to surprising epicurean adventures as well.
    Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Opening a potential new frontier in LLMs Diffusion models do involve some trade-offs.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Of course, advertisers who step into new frontiers often want to dominate them.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • During the same interview, Mr. Trump praised the Secret Service agent who saw the rifle's barrel coming out of a bush.
    CBS News, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2025
  • According to two other witnesses, Blue Jr. hid two guns behind a bush in front of the building before officers arrived, the affidavit said.
    Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • As an independent republic beginning in 1889, the young country wanted to establish a new identity that represented the diversity and culture of Brazil.
    Emi Eleode, ARTnews.com, 27 Feb. 2025
  • They are often flagged in countries like the Bahamas, Liberia and Panama.
    Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • From obscurity to fame Pandas once roamed a vast swath of China, along with parts of northern Myanmar and Vietnam, but human encroachment and climate change shrank the habitat of the bamboo-munching bears to just six mountain ranges above the Sichuan basin, deep in China’s hinterland.
    Nectar Gan, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
  • The Premier League will always be the priority, yet Emery views this competition as his managerial hinterland.
    Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Taking readers on a high-octane journey through the Australian outback, the story centers on Harvey Buck, a former soldier racing against time to reach his dying girlfriend.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
  • With just a hundred or so residents in an area bigger than the Netherlands, this piece of the Australian outback is something precious in a world swamped by wireless signals: an island of unusual calm, a clear window onto the cosmos.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Nov. 2017

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Cite this Entry

“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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