Backward

//ˈbæk.wə(ɹ)d//

Synonyms for "backward" (456 found)

Ranked by relevance and common usage.

Closest matches (92)

backwards retrograde bashful feebleminded rearward transposed a priori a rebours a reculons aback about afraid aft after after time aftermost again against the grain ago aloof

Show 53 more words

Adjective(17 words)

retrograde back to front dated obsolete anachronistic antediluvial antediluvian antiquated antique archaic backwards behind the times behindhand belated bygone cobwebbed cobwebby

Adverb(2 words)

back backwards

Strong matches (136)

Adjective(23 words)

contrariwise crude defunct deprecated discontinued disused dootsie elderly expired extinct foregone forepassed forepast fossilized fusty havishamesque hindwards historic historical idle

Show 3 more words

in reverse late lated

conversely cool counter counterclockwise coy crackbrained cracked crazy cretinistic cretinous crude dallying deep into defective delayed delayed-action delaying demure descending detached

Show 91 more words

Adjective(2 words)

feebleminded half-witted

Related words (228)

Show 175 more words

nonprogressive not all there obstructed obtuse offish old line old-fashioned old-fogyish old-line olympian opaque opposed to change outside in over overdue oversimple palindromic passing perfunctory plunging poor posterior posteriorly postern preservative procrastinating procrastinative procrastinatory progressive quiet reactionary rear rearmost rearwards receding reductionistic reductive reflex reflowing refluent regardant regressive reluctant reminiscently remiss remote removed renitent repressed reserved restive restrained resupinate retarded reticent retiring retracted retrad retral retroactive retroactively retroflexed retrogressive retrospective retrospectively retroverted returning reverse reversed right wing right-wing rising rotary rotational rotatory rough roughcast roughhewn round round about rude rudimental rudimentary running rushing self referent self-effacing set back shrinking shuffling shy sideward simple simpleminded simpletonian simplistic since sinking slack slobbering slow slow to slow-witted slowed down sluggish soaring standoff standoffish standpat stopped streaming struggling stunted stupid subdued subnormal suppressed tail tailward tailwards tardy thickheaded third world timid to the rear topsy-turvy turned around ultraconservative unaffable unapproachable unassertive unassured unblown uncongenial uncultivated uncultured uncut undemonstrative underdeveloped undeveloped undynamic uneager unenlightened unenthusiastic unexpansive unfashioned unfinished unformed ungenial unhewn uninformed unlabored unlicked unpolished unprocessed unprogressive unpunctual unready unrefined untimely untreated unwilling unworked unwrought unzealous up-trending upside down upside-down upward vice versa widdershins withdrawn wrong side out wrong-way wrong-way around

Adjective(30 words)

long ago mirror image miss havishamesque old old school old-fashioned olden oldfangled ossified out of date out of fashion outdated outmoded outworn overdue parachronistic passé past preterite primitive

Show 10 more words

rearward reversedly superannuated superseded switched tardy unemployed unoccupied venerable workless

Adverb(2 words)

rearward rearwards

Adjective(1 words)

slow-witted

Related word relations

OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.

8 relation types

Antonyms

4 entries

forward progressive

Synonyms

4 entries

backwards feebleminded retrograde third world

Related terms

1 entries

backwards

derived

34 entries

ass backward ass-backward backward compatibility backward compatible backward compliment backward design backward dive backward in coming forward backward incompatibility backward incompatible backward induction backward integration backward linkage backward masking backward pass backward pawn

Showing 16 of 34 words.

derived from

1 entries

back

has context

1 entries

cricket

related to

20 entries

advance backwards batsman behind culture field further normal outdated popping crease regressive reluctant retrospective reverse thought timid

Showing 16 of 20 words.

similar

43 entries

adynamic backswept bashful blate cacuminal converse inverse rearward receding reflexive

Showing 16 of 43 words.

Translations

177 translations across 43 languages.

Arabic

2 entries

متخلف adj (undeveloped)
مُتَخَلِّف adj (undeveloped)

Bashkir

1 entries

артҡа adv (in the direction towards the back)

Bulgarian

4 entries

изостанал adj (undeveloped)
назад adj (in the direction towards the back)
назадничав adj (reluctant to advance)
обратно adj (in the direction reverse of normal)

Catalan

4 entries

antiquat adj (of an idea: outdated)
demodé adj (of an idea: outdated)
endarrerit adj (undeveloped)
retrògrad adj (in the direction reverse of normal)

Central Kurdish

2 entries

دواکەوتو adj (reluctant to advance)
دواکەوتو adj (undeveloped)

Cherokee

1 entries

ᎠᏏᏂ adv (in the direction towards the back)

Chinese Mandarin

4 entries

逆向 adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
向後 /向后 adv (in the direction towards the back)
往後 /往后 adv (in the direction towards the back)
朝後 /朝后 adv (in the direction towards the back)

Czech

4 entries

vzad adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
zaostalý adj (undeveloped)
dozadu adv (in the direction towards the back)
vzad adv (in the direction towards the back)

Dutch

4 entries

achterhaald adj (of an idea: outdated)
achteruit adj (in the direction towards the back)
achteruit adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
naar achteren adj (in the direction towards the back)

Esperanto

1 entries

malantaŭen adj (in the direction towards the back)

Farefare

1 entries

abilimpoore adv (in the direction towards the back)

Finnish

4 entries

alikehittynyt adj (undeveloped)
arka adj (reluctant to advance)
kehittymätön adj (undeveloped)
peruuttava adj (in the direction reverse of normal)

French

4 entries

arriéré adj (reluctant to advance)
arriéré adj (undeveloped)
en arrière adj (in the direction towards the back)
en arrière adv (in the direction towards the back)

Galician

2 entries

de costas adv (in the direction towards the back)
para atrás adv (in the direction towards the back)

German

4 entries

altmodisch adj (of an idea: outdated)
antiquiert adj (of an idea: outdated)
gehemmt adj (reluctant to advance)
nach hinten adj (in the direction towards the back)

Gothic

1 entries

𐌹𐌱𐌿𐌺𐍃 adj (in the direction towards the back)

Greek

4 entries

ανάποδος adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
οπισθοδρομικός adj (of an idea: outdated)
παλιομοδίτικος adj (of an idea: outdated)
υπανάπτυκτος adj (undeveloped)

Hungarian

4 entries

fejletlen adj (undeveloped)
hátra adj (in the direction towards the back)
vissza adj (in the direction towards the back)
hátra adv (in the direction towards the back)

Icelandic

4 entries

aftur adj (in the direction towards the back)
aftur á bak adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
vanþróaður adj (undeveloped)
úreltur adj (of an idea: outdated)

Ingrian

1 entries

takaperin adv (in the direction towards the back)

Irish

4 entries

ar gcúl adj (in the direction towards the back)
ar gcúl adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
ar gcúl adj (undeveloped)
cúlánta adj (undeveloped)

Italian

4 entries

antiquato adj (of an idea: outdated)
fuori moda adj (of an idea: outdated)
indietro adj (in the direction towards the back)
indietro adj (undeveloped)

Jamaican Creole

2 entries

back adj (in the direction towards the back)
backway adj (in the direction reverse of normal)

Japanese

2 entries

後ろへ adv (in the direction towards the back)
後方へ adv (in the direction towards the back)

Latin

2 entries

retrōrsum adv (in the direction towards the back)
rūrsum adv (in the direction towards the back)

Malayalam

2 entries

പിന്നോക്ക adj (undeveloped)
പുറകോട്ട് adv (in the direction towards the back)

Marathi

3 entries

मागासलेला adj (undeveloped)
मागासलेली adj (undeveloped)
मागासलेले adj (undeveloped)

Mongolian

4 entries

аранш adv (in the direction towards the back)
араншаа adv (in the direction towards the back)
хойш adv (in the direction towards the back)
хойшоо adv (in the direction towards the back)

Māori

1 entries

whakamuri adj (in the direction towards the back)

Occitan

1 entries

en rèire adv (in the direction towards the back)

Old Church Slavonic

1 entries

възнакъ adv (in the direction towards the back)

Polish

4 entries

archaiczny adj (of an idea: outdated)
do tyłu adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
przestarzały adj (of an idea: outdated)
w tył adj (in the direction towards the back)

Portuguese

4 entries

antiquado adj (of an idea: outdated)
atrasado adj (undeveloped)
atrás adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
de volta adj (in the direction towards the back)

Romanian

4 entries

către spate adj (in the direction towards the back)
regresiv adj (in the direction towards the back)
spre-napoi adj (in the direction towards the back)
înapoi adj (in the direction towards the back)

Russian

4 entries

наза́д adj (in the direction towards the back)
обра́тно adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
отста́лый adj (undeveloped)
наза́д adv (in the direction towards the back)

Spanish

4 entries

anticuado adj (of an idea: outdated)
atrasado adj (undeveloped)
desactualizado adj (of an idea: outdated)
pasado de moda adj (of an idea: outdated)

Swedish

4 entries

baklänges adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
bakom adj (undeveloped)
bakåt adj (in the direction reverse of normal)
bakåtsträvande adj (reluctant to advance)

Tagalog

1 entries

patalikod adv (in the direction towards the back)

Turkish

1 entries

geri adj (in the direction towards the back)

Tuvan

1 entries

дедир adv (in the direction towards the back)

Ukrainian

1 entries

наза́д adv (in the direction towards the back)

Vietnamese

1 entries

ngược lại adv (in the direction towards the back)

Walloon

3 entries

aviyi adj (of an idea: outdated)
eriré adj (undeveloped)
foû môde adj (of an idea: outdated)

Sample sentences

46 total sentences available.

Tatoeba + Wiktionary

The dog walked backward.

Source: tatoeba (239192)

Social conditions are going backward rather than forward.

Source: tatoeba (265351)

The actress fell backward over the stage.

Source: tatoeba (267336)

He fell backward.

Source: tatoeba (295395)

Showing 4 of 46 available sentences.

More for "backward"

Meaning Antonyms Sentences Word Type

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