noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The state of being backward. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   lack of normal development of intellectual capacities wordnet
3. 3
   Reluctance. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

amentiaantipathyarrested developmentaversioncoldnessconservatism

Example

More examples

"The backwardness of that country is well known."

Etymology

From backward + -ness.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.