backwardness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“With the oil revenues, we could meet our entire budget and combat poverty, disease, and backwardness among our people,” Mossadegh said in a June 21, 1951, speech.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

But since the end of the Civil War, its economy has languished, becoming a synonym for stagnation and backwardness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

The series has been constructed, from its camera moves to its soundtrack, as a kind of post-Cold War Cold War thriller, set in and around Moscow, whose backwardness makes it feel less than modern.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2023

After the Spanish conquest of the Incan Empire in 1532, Quechua came to be seen as a sign of backwardness or a source of suspicion by the new ruling class.

From New York Times • May 31, 2022

Wen was soon talking without prompts from Pete about his giant China, about the provinces, and poverty, the backwardness of people and leaders.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee