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backwater

[bak-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈbækˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /


ADJECTIVE
back country
Synonyms




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.

Chinese universities, once a backwater in cutting-edge medical research, are now among the most influential in the world, and Chinese-developed drugs are increasingly finding their way into American medicine cabinets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

When I visited Xingguo, it remained an economic backwater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Once viewed as an intellectual backwater, geroscience—the study of aging—is now at the frontier of biology, attracting funding and talent, inspiring new journals, and generating a flood of peer-reviewed research.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Her persona is part space alien, part naïf of some Baltic backwater.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

William Levitt regarded the land he had acquired as frozen in time, belonging to a previous century, and marveled that such a backwater existed in the corridor between New York and Philadelphia.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove




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